Rage Vs Hope
by ariathal2410
Summary: The order was to kill anything that moved, the city was too far gone to hope for survivors. But if there was one thing Colonnello didn't sign up for, it was killing kids. (28 Weeks Later AU, eventually merges into a semi-au) eventual all27?
1. Target 1 - The Call

_**Summary:**_ The order was to kill anything that moved, the city was too far gone to hope for survivors. But if there was one thing Colonnello didn't sign up for, it was killing kids. (28 Weeks Later AU, eventually merges into a semi-au) eventual all27?

 _ **Genre:**_ Horror, Drama, Family, Romance? _**Rating:**_ M for gore

 **WARNINGS:** Gore, murder, zombies,

 **AN:** Okay, so I've been chipping away at this story for literal _months_ , writing, editing, writing some more, so I'm pretty happy to finally get it out. Also, you get two chapters right off the bat cos it was originally one super long chapter, but I decided it was _too_ long, so yah. Enjoy.

For those who don't know, 28 Weeks Later is basically a zombie movie. 28 Weeks is technically the sequel (the first is called 28 _Days_ Later), but I'll be following a similar storyline to the sequel until it merges into something more like canon-verse (though obviously it will have several major differences). Infected will be known as Enraged (I don't remember if this is the proper term, or if they even _had_ a name in the movie, but meh). Hope you enjoy!

"Talking." - Italian

* * *

 **Target 1: The Call**

 _The Rage Virus. A highly infectious virus that can be spread by a_ _ **single drop**_ _of any bodily fluid getting into any orifice or open wound. This makes it spread quickly and easily. The Rage Virus, as the name suggests, makes the infected incredibly violent, attacking any uninfected on sight without control. They seemingly have no desire to do anything other than infect or kill others. The Virus has been detected in a large city in Italy's South-Eastern border's, Rabbia. Before it could be contained, the virus spread throughout the populace until a city-wide lockdown was issued. The army was called in, and it was decided the city was to be Purged. All traces of the Virus were to be destroyed. No survivors would be found. Or that's what was supposed to happen anyway…_

Kill anything that moved. That was the order. So far Colonnello was doing pretty well. As long as he thought about this as a contamination zone, stopping the spread of the virus was the only priority. It didn't matter who he killed. Another shot rang out, another body fell. He'd always been a good liar… His eyes roamed the burning streets, crumbling buildings, abandoned cars, blood and bodies everywhere. His eyes caught on the handbag by the burning car, the shoe in the road, the baby bottle on the sidewalk. If there was a hell on earth, this was it. His eye remained on his scope, watching the city fall apart and shooting whatever monster came into his path. _Soft_. Colonnello blinked rapidly, the thought decidedly confusing. He quickly searched for what had distracted him from the carnage around him. _There._ His stomach dropped. A kid, couldn't be older than fourteen, with the fluffiest hair the blond had ever seen. His big brown eyes were wide with fear as he ran, trying desperately to get away from the madness. Colonnello bit his lip. This wasn't right. All of this. The outbreak. The death. The _kids_. None of this should have happened. But he had orders…

He lined up his scope, and took the shot. The tiny brunet yelped as the Enraged behind him crumpled, a bullet between his eyes. Then his head snapped around. He ran through the streets, back towards the steps of the Museum behind him, and barrelled into a taller boy with tan skin and sharp eyes. He was wielding a baseball bat with a white-knuckled grip, fresh blood dripping down the sides. There was a small group there already, all kids around the same age. Two girls, and another three boys running towards them, plus the fluffy brunet made six all together. Six more than Colonnello was willing to kill. In that moment, the blond made a snap decision that would shape the rest of his life, even if he had no way of knowing it. To hell with his orders, and to hell with this nightmare. He was getting those kids out of there. He was going to save them. He started shooting. Enraged fell one after the other, then he shot the ground near the kids feet. All of them jumped in surprise, and fear. He shot the ground near an alley to his right, highlighting a clear path to him. He couldn't save them from the roof.

Their hesitance was clear. After all, the Enraged weren't the only ones getting shot, uninfected humans were getting gunned down as well. He kept shooting, enraged after enraged falling. The kids made a decision quickly, and followed his guidance. The blond made sure their path was clear before packing up, slinging his rifle over his shoulder, and climbing down the side of the building. He landed on the ground a few feet away from them. At first, only the fluffy brunet noticed him. His eyes were more concerned than fearful, but he was definitely wary. He tugged on the tallest one's sleeves, the only one with a weapon (if one could call it that), and the raven whipped his head around. His eyes landed on the blond and immediately narrowed, eyeing him appraisingly. Colonnello put his hands up in the universal symbol for peace. He looked the kids over once more. They didn't look Italian. Definitively Asian. Japanese, maybe? He knew there were a couple of schools with student exchange programs. He almost cursed. They weren't even supposed to _be here_. He bit his lip to hold back a sneer. He needed these kids to trust him. He took a careful step forward.

"My name's Colonnello." He said gently in Italian. One of them might understand. If he was lucky. There was a general shuffle as the kids looked at each other and whispered, most shrugging. The taller, angrier looking girl stepped forward.

"My name is Hana." She said slowly in Italian, thinking out the words carefully. "Do you… _speak_ … Japanese?" She asked after a moments pause. He let out a sigh of relief.

"I do." He said. He thought carefully about what to say next. These kids were all scared and in danger, he didn't want any of them to lash out. "Look, I know everything's gone to shit right now, kora, but I want to help you guys get the hell out of here." Preferably not in body bags. The kids shuffled nervously, but another one of the them stepped forward, tall, dark-haired with a slightly wild look in his eyes.

"Why should we trust you?" He snapped, voice hoarse with fear and body trembling obviously.

" _Mochida_." Hana growled.

"No! I've seen normal people get shot down too, not just those monsters! What's to say he doesn't shoot us when our guard's down? I've heard a lot of stories about creeps in the military, Dad talks about it all the time…"

"Right now, I'm the only option you've got." Colonnello said. "I know what I'm doing, and I can get you out of here. But I can't do that if you don't let me." The kid wavered, but didn't back down. He glared at Colonnello angrily. Probably blaming him for everything that was happening. Colonnello couldn't say he blamed him. Hana shoved Mochida back and the kids had a mini-conference. They argued for a moment, Hana smacked Mochida on the head and called him a 'monkey', whatever the hell that meant, and they spoke some more. Hana stepped forward again, her chin raised in faux confidence.

"Okay." She said. "We'll go with you." Colonnello smiled in relief, and nodded.

"Follow me. I have to make a call."

* * *

It burned to turn to him. But he wanted these kids alive, and wanted to keep Lal out of trouble. There was only one person he could go to. One person with the skills he needed. He made the call.

" _Chaos._ " His rival greeted. Colonnello grimaced.

"Reborn, kora. Remember that favour you don't owe me?" The raven chuckled darkly.

" _What do you want?_ " Straight to business, good, Colonnello could deal with that.

"I need a ride, kora."

" _Not enjoying your holiday_?" Reborn teased. " _Just you_?"

"No…" Colonnello glanced at the small group behind him, their expressions a painful combination of hopeful and grim. Kids shouldn't look like that. His voice was unnervingly weak when he spoke next.

"I've got some survivors with me. Kids." Reborn was silent for longer than the blond was comfortable. They both knew Colonnello's orders, and Reborn was technically an outsider. They could both get in a lot of shit for this.

" _How many_?" Colonnello chewed his lip as he looked over the kids.

"Almost a dozen, for now. Might find a few more stragglers on the way." He said hopefully. He'd already found another five.

" _Sounds like you've got some work to do, I'll bring Lal in for the ride. You're going to need the…_ _ **encouragement**_." They quickly organised a frequency for walkie talkies, no sense in telling everyone what dumbass scheme he was pulling, and ended the call. Colonnello breathed a sigh of relief. He had Reborn on his side, and as much as he didn't want Lal in trouble because of him… Reborn was right, nobody could get Colonnello moving better than Lal. Besides, once she understood the situation, there wouldn't be any getting her out of it (however much she grumbled about it). His walkie talkie buzzed to life moments later.

" _Colonnello, you idiot_!" Lal's voice pierced through the quiet like a gunshot. " _What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time_? _Over_."

"Come on, Lal," The blond whined, pouting at the walkie talkie in his hand. "You know how much I want kids, kora! You seriously thought I could just leave them? Over."

" _Doesn't change the fact that you're an idiot_!" She said, then, much quieter. " _You know you're going to lose some of them, right_? _Over_." Colonnello was quiet for a long moment. He didn't want to admit it, wanted to say that he would save them all… but the fact was, there were already so many kids and only one of him. He couldn't protect them all. Some of them were going to die.

"Yeah…" He breathed. It was Lal's turn to be silent, but after another long moment she spoke.

" _The only clear landing site is a football field, 15 clicks south of the Heritage Centre_. _Over_." Lal told him, and Colonnello wanted to punch something.

"We're halfway across the city, kora!" Colonnello cursed under his breath. " _Over_." That was a long way to go with a lot of kids and a lot of enemies.

" _You'll have to make it there, we can't land anywhere else. Not without getting mobbed or shot out of the sky. Over._ _"_ Lal snapped, though there was an edge of concern to her voice that told the blond she wasn't happy either.

"Oh, we'll make it, kora." Colonnello promised, gritting his teeth with a scowl. He let his face soften, just a touch. "Wait for me… Out." He could practically _see_ Lal's red cheeks at the statement. He took a second to compose himself, then ushered the kids forward. They were so small… This was the last thing he wanted, but if the kids were going to survive then they needed to be able to defend themselves. He pulled a combat knife out of his boot and held it up by the tip. There were several nervous swallows and fidgeting as the kids eyed the weapon in his hand.

"I know this has been a bad day, but it's only gonna get worse from here, kora." He started, looking them each in the eye in turn. "We've got to make it halfway across the city to the big football stadium near the Heritage Centre. You all know where that is?" Several nods accompanied by whimpers and grimaces. It was a long way to go, and the city was packed full of monsters. It was gonna be a hell of a ride.

"I know you're all scared, _believe_ _me_ I know, kora, but I need you to be brave. That doesn't mean not being scared, it doesn't mean being a hero, and it _doesn't_ mean charging into enemies. It means doing what it takes to get yourselves and your friends out of this mess alive, no matter how scared you are. And for that, I need you to be able to defend yourselves." He held the knife up pointedly, pausing to look them all in the eye. "This isn't a game, this is survival. And I want you _all_ to survive." His words were met with the silent grimaces. He gave them a quick demonstration of where to hit, under the ribs, throat, temple if you can manage, tendons are good for impairing movement, but won't stop them.

"Keep your face covered as much as you can, especially if you go for the throat, kora." He warned. The kids shivered, some squirming uncomfortably. "Now, do any of you have experience with guns or knives?" A couple of kids stepped forward. He noted the kid with the bat, the girl who spoke Italian, and one of the newer lot.

"My old man runs a sushi shop, I'm pretty good with knives." The bat wielding kid said. He was tense, but there was a sharp edge to his amber eyes that told Colonnello what he needed to know. He handed the kid a combat knife and looked to the other two.

"My dad taught me how to use a handgun, said he wanted me to be able to defend myself." The girl, Hana, shrugged.

"My parents own a gun range." The other boy said sheepishly. Colonnello smirked, perfect. He gave them both handguns, his only spares, and looked over the rest of them. The bat kid handed his makeshift weapon over to the other kid from before, muttering something about Kendo. The other kid nodded, pale but determined, and took the bat. The blond had a couple more spare knives, but it wouldn't save all of them. He handed them out anyway. A couple to the braver looking kids, and one to the ball of fluff. The reason he'd made his decision. Colonnello briefly wandered if he would have even noticed the others, but shook the thought off. He didn't have time for shit like that.

"Okay, I want you to split into groups and scout around for survivors, kora." He said evenly, watching them all with a calm, firm expression. "Don't go too far, stay low and _be careful_. _Do not_ fight unless you absolutely have to. I want you all back in thirty minutes." They nodded, some more reluctant than others, and split into four groups.

* * *

Tsuna wasn't surprised when nobody wanted to be in his group. Why would anyone want to be with Dame-Tsuna? Especially in this nightmare… Yamamoto wouldn't leave him alone though, so now they were a group. Just the two of them. Tsuna wanted to tell the other teen to leave him, but he wouldn't last on his own and Colonnello probably wouldn't let him stay behind. Yamamoto wouldn't leave even if he told him to anyway, hadn't since that day… So Tsuna smiled as gratefully as he could and apologised. Yamamoto brushed the apology off, and they went to work. They kept low, as the blond had told them, skirting around cars and ducking between buildings. They hid when they heard angry noises, moved when they passed, and picked up anything they thought might be useful on the way. A backpack left on the sidewalk (Tsuna tried not to feel guilty about stealing stuff), a few water bottles left inside cars, spare jackets to use as protection from blood spatter, a bandana, and a first aid kit in the back of a truck. Was their thirty minutes up yet? Maybe they should start heading back…

A scream pierced the air. Tsuna's head snapped around so fast, he should've gotten whiplash. But in that moment, he didn't feel it. It didn't matter. Tsuna was moving before he could think. His body shot forward, he didn't have time. No time to think, no time to plan, no time to _breathe_. Tsuna skidded over the hood of a car, shielded the petite girl's body with his own, and thrust his knife forwards. He didn't even remember grabbing it. The blade found its target swiftly, sinking into the enraged man's temple with a sickening _squelch_. Everything stopped. For a single nerve wracking moment, Tsuna thought it didn't work. All he could hear was his own rapid fire breathing, the blood pounding in his ears. His vision had narrowed in on the man's face. The enraged man stood there before him, lips still pulled back in a nightmare inducing snarl. Finally, he collapsed sideways and landed on the floor, unmoving. Tsuna's entire body shuddered uncontrollably. He was frozen there, for a long moment, staring at the body at his feet. Slowly, he turned towards the girl behind him. Wide, purple eyes stared back.

"Are – you – ah…" It wouldn't do either of them any good if he passed out. "Are you okay?" He let himself sink to his knees. The girl blinked a couple of times, seemingly trying to remember something, and nodded. Then Tsuna wanted to slap himself, because this girl was _obviously_ Italian, and he had just spoken to her in Japanese. Of course she'd be confused.

"I – I'm fine." She managed to stutter. In _Japanese_. Oh. Tsuna staved off a shrug, not that she'd notice given how badly he was still shaking. He nodded, though again, he wasn't sure if she could tell, and looked around him. He almost had a heart attack when he found Yamamoto standing guard a couple of feet away. The other teen was glancing around every few seconds, but mostly his eyes were locked on Tsuna. At first the brunet thought he was afraid of him, worried that Tsuna might do the same to him. His chest tightened and he almost broke down, but then he saw the teen's eyes. Amber orbs filled with _concern_. Yamamoto was worried _about_ him, not because of him. Tsuna gave the raven a weak smile, and received a tight smile in return, amber eyes flashing in relief. Tsuna let out a long breath. He was going to be okay. He wasn't sure how, or how long it would take, but he would be okay. As long as they got out of this alive… And they _would_. Tsuna pushed himself back onto shaking feet and helped up the girl he saved. Yamamoto quickly explained about their group and offered for her to join. She immediately agreed.

"We should get back." He said, glancing around again. Tsuna nodded. He didn't want to stick around any longer than he had to. The girl tentatively reached out and gripped the corner of Tsuna's sleeve, smiling shyly. He gave her a weak smile back and they started moving.

* * *

Colonnello grinned as soon as he saw them, obviously pleased. The smile dropped just as quick.

"What happened?" He asked, concern overtaking his voice. He was giving them a good look-over now, and Tsuna only just realised how tense he was. He still had his bloody knife in a white-knuckled grip, his shoulders were hunched, and now that he thought about it his eyes were pretty wide too. He probably looked manic. Yamamoto was watching him with a fond smile. Tsuna opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Uh…" He said intelligently. Yamamoto squeezed his hand gently and gave him a reassuring smile. Tsuna tried again, but couldn't manage to get more than a strangled sound out of his mouth. The enraged man's face flashed into his mind, a knife sticking out of his skull. Tsuna wanted to puke.

"He saved me." The girl finally supplied, fingers tightening around the sleeve she hadn't let go of. She shifted slightly forwards, like she wanted to defend him, but didn't really know how. Colonnello's face softened into a smile, ruffling Tsuna's hair and rubbing his face. It was surprisingly comforting in the chaos around them. Something so simple, yet it made the world of difference. Tsuna relaxed minutely. He let his shoulders sag, but couldn't get his eyes to still. They darted this way and that, taking in his surroundings. Every little detail. The coffee shop with the broken window, the clothes store with it's tipped over mannequins, the blood splattered all over the sidewalk. Tsuna wanted to go home. Go home and curl up in his mother's arms and cry. Funny, he didn't think he'd hugged her in years…

They waited quietly while the others slowly filtered back. Hana and Kyoko's group had found a severely angry looking Italian teen. A couple of the other groups had found some Italian adults, who looked just as scared as the kids. This only served to make Tsuna more nervous. Colonnello eyed the angry teen. Was that apprehension? Well, that was worrying. The blond man briefly spoke to all the newcomers, then gathered everyone around him.

"Okay, I want everyone to spread out behind me, a couple of feet away from each other. People with weapons on the outside, people without on the inside. One gun either side, a knife bringing up the rear. Keep your eyes and ears open, and follow me and Miss Carver, she knows her way around the city and has agreed to help me navigate." The kids all nodded and spread out, all the adults filing into the centre. Colonnello had found it aggravating that none of them had known how to use weapons, and were generally unwilling to take them. He wasn't really happy forcing them on the kids. Though it had worked out in their favour so far… and strangely enough, he found himself reluctant to take the weapons away from them. He shook his head. It wasn't strange at all; the kids were more important. He grabbed his walkie talkie.

"Plus eight. Over." He said. It crackled for a moment.

" _Roger that. Keep your sorry ass moving. Out._ " Colonnello chuckled. It was good to hear Lal's voice, even if only for a second. He nodded to Miss Carver, and they started moving. He kept an eye on his surroundings, but also kept his eye on the kids, softly correcting their positions every now and then when they strayed too far, or bunched up too much. They slowly and carefully picked their way through the city, killing any enraged they came across. Colonnello did most of the work, which he was happy for. The less stress the kids were under the better. They had gotten pretty lucky so far, not coming across any other snipers. He knew most of them would be on the outskirts of the city, keeping it locked down and picking off anyone or anything that tried to escape.

They came upon a dead end, made their way around. Steered clear of a shaded alleyway. Avoided a collapsed building. After walking a few miles, they entered what appeared to be a shopping district. Colonnello put a hand up and they all paused nervously. The man looked around and chewed his lip for a moment, before turning and gathering them around.

"Okay, I know we all want to get out of here as quick as possible, kora, but I think it's a good idea that we stock up on supplies while we can." He said. The kids all nodded, immediately breaking up into smaller groups again and splitting in different directions. Colonnello smiled. After rehashing the plan in Italian, one of the adults choked and sputtered.

"Are you crazy?!" He spat. "We need to _leave_!" Colonnello sighed through his nose. He had to be patient. Even if none of the kids had complained, and this asshole adult who should be more responsible and mature was now making a fuss. _Patience_ … Fear was a hell of an emotion.

" _Look_ …" Colonnello tried not to snap. "We have a long way to go, and not a lot to go on _kora_. If we get stuck, or injured, we might need to bunker down and wait shit out. If that happens, we're going to need supplies."

"Forget that! If someone gets injured we leave them behind or kill them!" The man spat and _boy_ , Colonnello was glad most of the kids hadn't understood that. His eyes narrowed dangerously, the man stumbled back.

"Hey!" Hana called out, effectively gaining their attention. "Shut up, you damn… uh… moron! Shouldn't you respect your military personnel?" The angry man choked and flushed red, face twisting in anger.

"It's okay Hana, get going." Colonnello said, then threw her a rogueish grin. "Oh, and the word you were looking for is monkey." She grinned, nodded and left with her group. Good kid. The Italian man spluttered.

"What – what did you just say to her? What about monkeys?" He said nervously.

"Never you mind." Colonnello said impatiently. "Listen, you either follow my orders, or you leave. I don't have time for arguments. My priority is getting these kids home alive. What's yours?" The man glowered at him angrily before stalking off. Colonnello briefly wondered if he'd be back. The other adults formed their own group and headed off without further protest. Colonnello sighed. This was equal parts better and worse than he thought…

* * *

Of course Tsuna had picked the worst direction to go… All they had passed so far was clothing and apparel stores. Nothing really useful, unless they wanted more clothes for cover. He supposed it wouldn't be a terrible idea, actually…

"Tsuna-kun." Chrome called lightly, holding up a duffle bag when he turned to her.

"Chrome, that's perfect!" He said, trying to keep his voice down but also show his delight. She smiled shyly and slung the bag over her shoulders. Yamamoto grinned and gave a thumbs up, then went back to poking around.

It wasn't long before Tsuna noticed something was wrong. The first thing he noticed was the smell. Not smoke or the gunpowder he'd begun to recognise on Colonnello. No, it smelt like metal and sewerage. The brunet immediately hesitated in his advance. The smell was foul, and he couldn't immediately identify where or what it was coming from. But Colonnello had asked them to gather supplies, and this was the only direction they could go without running into the others.

That was when Tsuna noticed the body.

The soldier's neck was so badly torn his head was barely attached, leaving it at a gut-wrenching angle. Tsuna almost threw up. He fell to his knees and gagged into his hand. His stomach heaved. He swallowed, trying to force down the bile rising in his throat. He swallowed again for good measure. He paused for another moment or two, then pushed himself back to his feet. Tsuna hesitated, shuffling his feet, glancing around. Shuddering, he took careful steps forward until he reached the body's side, keeping low. There were several large chunks of flesh missing from his arms and legs. His vest was torn open, and Tsuna didn't even want to think about what was spilling out from his side. The brunet felt bile rising in his throat again and quickly turned away, trying not to be sick. He needed to be quick, they were still in danger after all. With a shaking hand he gripped the large gun. His fingers fumbled for several moments, but he managed to unclip it from the soldier's shoulder, carefully putting it into the duffle bag Chrome had placed beside him. Tsuna paused.

The girl was even paler than before, her shoulders hunched, and there were tears in her eyes. Tsuna immediately wanted to slap himself. He had been so wrapped up in the body, he had practically forgotten she was there. He placed a comforting hand on top of hers, and gently squeezed. She flashed him a tight smile that looked more like a grimace, but motioned him to keep working. Remembering what Colonnello said, Tsuna quickly turned the safety on the gun. He didn't want to shoot himself, or anybody else, by accident. After it was settled in place, shaking hands took the handgun from the man's thigh holster, and checked his boots for a combat knife. After carefully putting both away, Tsuna started checking the various pockets on the soldier's combat vest and pants. Several clips of spare ammo, a box of matchsticks, a tin of breath mints, a pocket knife… and a picture. Tsuna felt nauseous all over again, a knot twisting in his stomach. The woman was pretty, and smiling so wide she could only be in love. She looked so happy. Tsuna wanted to cry. She wasn't going to be happy after this. None of them were.

He finished putting everything away, and noticed Yamamoto heading their way. Tsuna hadn't realised the other teen had gone so far. He swallowed heavily, and quickly glanced around. Safe. _Good_. He released a shaky breath and stood up. Chrome followed, grabbing his sleeve again. He leaned a little closer and the girl practically shoved herself into his side. He let out a startled chuckle. They poked around some more, more carefully this time. Soldiers didn't go down for no reason. There wasn't much else around though, so they started heading back. They grabbed some more bandanas and shirts on the second run. They could use the bandanas to cover their mouths and noses, and the shirts they could tear up for bandages if necessary. Well, Tsuna had seen them do it in TV shows anyway… Then they grabbed another couple of bags, who knows what the others found, they might come in handy. They could always dump them if they didn't need them.

They were one of the last groups back, and Tsuna immediately noticed the difference. A few kids were missing, and so was one of the adults. The brunet tried to control his trembling. Yamamoto threw him a tight smile, and lead the way towards Colonnello. The blond was going through the supplies the others had brought back. Tsuna tried to hang back for a bit. He didn't want the others to panic over what they found. Actually, he was beginning to wonder why he _wasn't_ panicking. It only took a few more moments for the blond to look over and give them a puzzled look. Yamamoto shrugged sheepishly.

"All we got were clothing stores." He laughed, scrubbing the back of his head. It managed to illicit some weak chuckles from the bunch. Colonnello came forward to peruse what they brought back. He pulled out the shirts first, uncovering what was beneath.

"Where did you…?" Colonnello started, looking surprised. Tsuna swallowed around the lump in his throat.

"We found a dead soldier." He said weakly. Colonnello pursed his lips, but nodded. He dug through the bag, pocketed the spare clips and the pocket knife. He handed the two combat knives to the adults, and gave them the same instructions he had given the kids. They looked hesitant, but after a harsh look from the blond, they took the knives. Finally, Colonnello grabbed the large gun.

"Dangan." He called their classmate over. "You know how to use one of these, kora?"

"Basically. I've never handled a military grade one before though." He said, swapping his gun for the one Colonnello was holding.

"Prepare for a stronger kick just in case." Colonnello told him. Tsuna didn't know what that meant, but the other boy nodded thoughtfully. He held it up, aimed it around, nodded again, and went back to his group. The others had found a lot of food (energy bars, crackers, and candy, mostly) and water, and there were several first aid kits strewn in. They spread the supplies out between them, a small pack for each group. Lucky they knew were a bag store was…

Colonnello spread them out in the same pattern as before, and they started moving again. It was terrifying really. Moving through a dead city, waiting for a monster to jump out from every corner. It was surreal. They looked at all the bodies already littering the ground, and added to the number when they had to. They kept moving.

Tsuna's heart beat hard against his chest as they walked. It picked up speed the further they went. He licked his lips, tried to breathe slow. It was okay. They were fine. Tsuna was moving before he knew what was happening. Colonnello had just started to lean around the corner when the teen wrenched him back. The brickwork opposite them exploded. A couple of kids screamed. All colour drained from Tsuna's face as Colonnello drew a sharp breath. That could have been his head. Then Colonnello cursed. At least Tsuna assumed it was a curse. He couldn't tell since he didn't speak Italian. It sure _sounded_ like a curse.

"Sniper, kora." He dug through one of his many pockets and managed to pull out a palm sized mirror. He stuck it around the corner, only for it to shatter a moment later. Colonnello hissed out a breath through his teeth and cursed again. He tapped the toe of his boot against the ground. Knocked his knuckles against the bricks behind him. Clicked his tongue. He exhaled sharply.

"Oi, it's Colonnello, kora." He called, voice calm, reassuring. "I've got some kids with me. Want to get them out of here. What do you say, kora?" He extended his hand passed the corner. Another bullet scattered the remnants of the bricks. Colonnello whipped his hand back and let out a long string of curses in Italian. The blond seethed silently for a long moment, leaning up against the brickwork. He banged the back of his head against the wall, gritting his teeth.

"Colonnello…" Tsuna urged. He knew the man didn't want to say it, didn't want any of them to do it. But he needed a distraction. The small teen tried to kept his voice steady when he spoke the next words. "What do you need?" Colonnello didn't answer for a moment, long enough that Tsuna was beginning to think he hadn't heard him. When he finally spoke, his voice was neutral. He was better at hiding his emotions than Tsuna…

"Somebody to get his attention long enough for me to get a shot off." He said. "Somebody needs to run from this alley to the next. In a zig zag pattern to lessen the chance of getting hit." He wasn't looking at them. Staring at the open space as if he was willing the sniper to let them pass. Tsuna nodded his head and turned to look at his classmates. Out of all of them, he was the most expendable. He was the useless one, the one who couldn't do anything right. Mochida looked at him. Tsuna opened his mouth.

"Not you." The kendo captain said. Tsuna's jaw _dropped_. "It needs to be someone fast and versatile at running." He turned back, where another girl from their class was shrinking in on herself.

"Minami." He said. His voice barely shook, but the slight tremble was all they needed to know. He didn't want this… The girl was shaking badly, but she stepped forward and nodded. Of course, Tsuna thought sullenly, Minami was on the track team. She was small, fast, and good on her feet. She was perfect for the job. Colonnello gave her a long, hard look. The girl stiffened, but straightened herself up a bit. He glanced behind her then, to the angry Italian teen. But he only looked away with a click of his tongue. Tsuna frowned in confusion. What was that about?

"I'm the fastest one here." Minami said, her voice shook uncontrollably. Colonnello slowly nodded. He practically yanked his rifle off his back, and settled against the wall again.

"On my mark." He said impassively. He held all five fingers up. Tsuna wondered who he was giving time to. Four. Three. Two. One. " _Go_."

Minami shot out of the alley, skittering back and forth like a mouse. Shots fell quickly and desperately. All of them missed. Colonnello leaned out, aimed. _Bang_. The shots stopped coming. Tsuna let out the breath he'd been holding.

Suddenly, Minami screamed. She stumbled back into the open as an enraged came into view, snarling. Tsuna remembered. Very clearly. _Minami didn't have a weapon_. She was in the way. Colonnello called out but Tsuna was already moving. It felt like he crossed the gap in a second, tearing off his jacket and throwing it in the enraged teen's face to give them that extra moment they needed. The enraged snarled, scrabbling at the jacket. Tsuna grabbed Minami and pulled her away, just enough. A shot rang out, and the enraged collapsed in a heap.

All Tsuna could hear for another moment was a high-pitched ringing. He stared at the enraged, a mangled heap of limbs. Minami was crying. It was the first sound he registered. His arms were still around her. Then Colonnello, gently calling his name. He managed to focus on the blond's face. There was concern there, but the look was also calculating. Tsuna shook his head. Then he shrugged. He didn't know how he was supposed to respond. Colonnello squeezed his shoulder. He spoke quietly to Minami, calmed her down, glanced back at Tsuna. Tsuna let his arms drop. Yamamoto was beside him, Chrome too. He tried to breath. He nodded, and took a wobbly step forward. They kept moving.

* * *

It felt like eternity before they took another break. They settled in a large alley, two scouts flanking each entrance. Tsuna just so happened to be one of the scouts. He honestly wasn't sure why. He glanced around nervously. He turned towards the other scout, and was met with a scowl. Tsuna squeaked and whirled back around. Mochida seemed annoyed. As usual. Tsuna shook his head, then paused. What was that sound? He chanced a glance back at the other teen. He was staring out at their surroundings. Ignoring him, more like. Tsuna almost sighed. He must be hearing things…

It was quiet for another moment before he heard it again. Tsuna wanted to groan. He took a good long look at his surroundings. Clear. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Shouting? It was too far away to tell. He glanced around the corner. Nothing. What was it? He glanced back towards the group. Colonnello was talking to the Italian boy. Gokudera? That didn't sound Italian… They looked like they were arguing, though they were speaking too low to hear. Why was he always so angry? And smoking, he always had a cigarette in his mouth. Tsuna turned back. Should he tell Colonnello? It might be nothing. It might something though… Another glance at Mochida. The teen was still ignoring him.

"Don't do it…" He muttered to himself. "Don't do it…" He turned the corner and scuttled forwards. Kept low behind cars, checked every opening. There were _a lot_ of cars. Was he on a highway or something? The sound got closer every second, but Tsuna still couldn't see anything. He should turn back. Get Colonnello, or even Yamamoto. Anything was better than going by himself. But what if it was nothing? What if it was a waste of time? What if he put them in danger? He kept going.

He could hear it much more clearly now. It was definitely screaming. _There_. A child was standing on top of a car and oh god that was _a lot of enraged_. They were far away, for now, but they were heading in their direction. The child was screaming in Italian, flailing his arms about in an obvious tantrum. Tsuna had no idea what he was screaming about, but he was fairly sure the child hadn't seen the enraged. He tried to focus.

"Hey!" Tsuna called, running forwards and trying not to focus on the two horns nestled in the child's afro. The child immediately focused on him, sniffing loudly. "You can't stay here! Come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe!" Tsuna called, and then wanted to smack himself again, because _Italian_.

"You know somewhere safe?" The child replied in Japanese, obviously intrigued. Tsuna wasn't even gonna bother anymore.

"Yes, err, yeah! Come on, quickly!" Tsuna said desperately, nodding his head frantically, waving his arms in a 'come here' gesture. The enraged were coming, drawn to the child's screams. The child puffed up happily, jumping straight into Tsuna's arms. The brunet only waited until he had a decent grip on the child and then he was running. He skidded over a car, but there were too many coming too fast. He threw himself onto another car, ran up the roof, and dragged himself on top of a nearby bus.

That was when the shooting started. Tsuna shrieked as a bullet ricocheted off the bus, barely a centimetre away from his head. The brunet scrambled forwards at the same time the child started screeching in Italian again, clearly furious. Shots continued coming, and Tsuna could only be thankful that most of them were aimed at the enraged now surrounding the bus. Even so, he couldn't stay there. Not when bullets were falling like rain. He scurried forwards, ignoring the heavy fire in favour of figuring out how to continue moving. He'd have to use the cars as stepping stones. With that thought in mind, Tsuna grit his teeth and ran. He flew off the end of the bus, just barely missing one of the enraged as he landed on the roof of a nearby limousine. Tsuna rolled as he landed, barrelling down the length of the roof before forcing himself up and moving again. He bounded from car to car, moving as fast as his legs could carry him. The child had stopped yelling, and Tsuna was vaguely aware of having quieted him at some point. The angry snarls were growing lesser. The bullets weren't. He was almost back to their group when he heard his name called out.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto's voice was tinged with surprise and panic, followed closely by Colonnello's, sharper and more warning.

" _Concentrate_." But it was too late. The brunet made the mistake of looking up. With his eyes off the car, he misstepped, foot too far forwards. He tripped. Tsuna went tumbling forwards, flipped, and hit the ground _hard_. His back hit the asphalt and the air burst out of his lungs. A furious snarl made Tsuna's head snap back. An enraged was barrelling towards him. He couldn't even scream. It didn't even make it within five feet of him before it went down, a bullet between its eyes. Tsuna wondered when he'd started thinking of them as 'it'.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto called again, running towards the teen. He shoved his hand out and Tsuna grabbed it gratefully, allowing the teen to haul him up and drag him towards the rest of the group.

"You okay?" Tsuna croaked in question, belatedly remembering the child in his arms. The boy poked his head out from where it had been buried in Tsuna's chest. His eyes were watery, but he nodded his head.

"Lambo-sama's fine." He sniffed. Tsuna didn't bother holding back his relieved sigh. Colonnello was crouched low on the roof of a car, rifle out and covering their retreat. He didn't look happy.

"Thank goodness Tsuna-kun found him before anything happened." Kyoko said, looking relieved. Hana looked mildly displeased, but there was an edge of relief in her eyes too. Tsuna gave them a tight smile. His legs felt like jelly.

"Let's move." Colonnello said sharply. None of them hesitated.

* * *

 **AN:** So, I don't really like horror because I'm a wimp and stuff, apologies if this isn't as scary as it could be. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed regardless!

EDIT: Fanfic deleted 90% of my underlining from word to FF, now fixed.


	2. Target 2 - The Burning City

**Target 2: The Burning City**

Colonnello let the group pause for a moment, and looked over them. He bit his lip to hide a snarl. He'd lost another three. He tried for a smile, tried to look as comforting as possible.

"The bridge is only a couple more blocks, that means we're halfway there, kora." He said confidently. He got a few smiles, but most of them just looked exhausted. "Okay, kora, we'll rest here for a few minutes. Watch each other's backs, take turns scouting." He watched as they settled into small groups, dividing their roles quickly and easily. He grimaced. Most kids would argue forever about who got what roles. These kids were so exhausted and scared that they immediately fell into a group setting. Work together or die. He sighed and grabbed his walkie talkie.

"Minus three. Over." He muttered. The radio buzzed with silence. Colonnello frowned. He looked at it more carefully, and cursed, carefully popping the antenna back into place. It crackled to life again.

"– _nnello, dammit, answer me! Over._ " Colonnello cursed again.

"I'm here, Lal. Popped antenna, kora. Over." He said hurriedly.

" _Shit, dumbass, idiot!_ " She cursed. " _We've been listening to the others, and we've got bad news and worse news._ " She snapped, then paused, obviously trying to calm herself down.

"Lovely…" Colonnello muttered under his breath, waiting for her to continue.

" _Bad news is, they're raising the bridges soon, trying to lessen the damage or some bullshit. Worse news…_ " She paused again, and Colonnello felt his stomach drop. " _They're purging the city. Over._ " Colonnello tried to breathe, really he did, but it was a bit difficult when you were _panicking_.

" _What?!_ " He hissed, barely managing to keep his voice down, then snapped out the affirmative. "Over."

" _I don't know, okay?! But it doesn't matter. You need to haul ass, and I mean_ _ **now**_ _. Out._ " Lal said, the walkie talkie crackling into silence. Colonnello cursed. Then cursed some more, because he was freaking out just a little bit. A _purge_?! They were gonna burn the city and everything, every _one_ in it. He had to get these kids moving. He ran back, Tsuna noticing him before he could talk.

"Colonnello?" His voice was low, unsure. He looked worried. Apparently Colonnello's ability to mask his emotions had decided to bail on him.

"We need to move, now. Everyone up." He ordered, not bothering to be nice. He'd never seen them move so fast.

"What's going on?" Hana asked, voice barely stable. She was rigid. He decided honesty was the best policy right now.

"They're raising the bridge, we need to move." He said quickly. The kids despaired, but he quieted them down. He looked at them all, dead serious.

"We can make it, but we have to go _now_." He said, voice hard. " _Move it._ " The kids scrambled into their positions and immediately started moving. Colonnello grimaced. Odd, he'd never hated sounding like a soldier before…

He kept his rifle in his arms as they moved. He couldn't chance any mistakes or delays. They couldn't afford to move slowly. Lal had sounded serious. More serious than he'd ever heard her. That worried him. How long did they have? Was it already too late? Buildings passed in a blur, and Colonnello was starting to notice the dwindling number of encounters as they moved. He bit his lip. A flash of movement, everything registered in seconds. White. Hazmat. _Flamethrower_.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

" _Freeze._ " Colonnello wasn't even sure what language he'd spoken, but it had the desired effect. The hazmat suite in front of him froze. He aimed his rifle instantly. The blond breathed through his nose.

"Back off." He snarled. The flamethrower twitched upwards. "Do it and you die. Back. _O_ _ff_." The hazmat clad human slowly backed away, keeping the flamethrower down. Colonnello kept his rifle trained on them. He didn't trust them for a second.

"Keep moving." He called to those behind him. He heard their footsteps, whispers of haste and movement. He backed up too, waited until the purger was around the corner, then bolted. The kids had already started moving faster, but he got up front.

"Come on, let's go!" He yelled, quickly glancing back. The purger was peeking around the corner, but they weren't giving chase. Good. He ran towards the bridge, eyes desperately trying to keep up with the surroundings and not get hit by an enraged.

He could see the bridge. It was still down. Thank god. Another few moments and he saw the bridge's control centre. A small, solid looking brick building with tiny windows, just next to the bridge. That was when he saw the soldiers. His hand flew out so fast, he almost smacked one of the kids. They scrambled to a stop. Colonnello bit his lip. The soldiers weren't far away from the control room. If they reached it and raised the bridge before he could get the kids across… All or nothing. He turned, eyes hard.

"Guns up front. On my mark, you run across that bridge and you _do not_ stop until you reach the other side, understand?" The kids nodded sharply, quickly rearranged and braced themselves. "GO!" He spun around the corner, briefly taking in the soldiers surprised faces, and started shooting. His bullets hit the building and the soldiers ducked and scrambled away. He didn't want to have to kill anymore comrades today if he could help it. They took cover behind a nearby van, scrambling for their owns guns. Colonnello kept shooting, just enough that they couldn't get out. The kids were all on the bridge. He ran. He quickly caught up to the kids, calling out encouragement as he passed some of the stragglers. And Tsuna? Well, Tsuna hated running…

He'd never moved so fast before. In fact, he'd never felt like running was this easy. But still… He watched as other's ran ahead of him. Watched Colonnello pass him. He heard the man's voice, but didn't process what he was saying. Was he even speaking Japanese? Tsuna didn't know. For some reason, he could barely breathe. His breath was coming sharp and fast, and he could feel himself starting to panic. He couldn't shake the violent feeling of _wrong._ Gokudera was just ahead of him, and when Tsuna looked at the teen, something inside him _screamed._ He was reaching out before he knew what he was doing. The enraged appeared out of the corner of his eye, from behind a truck. Tsuna was already pushing Gokudera out of the way, stumbling impossibly slow. He took a sharp breath, turned his head. He heard a scream.

Tsuna fell to the ground, unharmed. The enraged was a heap of blood and brains on the tarmac next to him. The teen trembled. He looked back, saw the glint of a gun on top of the control deck. A soldier had saved them? Gokudera was sprawled out in front of him, and the other teen's voice finally snapped Tsuna out of his reverie.

"You…" He looked so surprised, so confused. It almost hurt to look at. They didn't have time for further conversation though.

"Tsuna!" Colonnello skidded to a stop next to him, then dragged both the teen's to their feet. "Let's go, both of you, _run_!"

They had almost made it halfway across when the entire bridge jolted beneath them. Tsuna almost lost his footing, but a solid hand steadied him. He turned to thank Colonnello, only to see Gokudera beside him. He gave the teen a sheepish smile, muttered his thanks and let the other teen drag him forwards once again. They kept running. The bridge steadily got steeper, but they managed to cross without further incident. Tsuna ended up practically skidding down the last couple of feet, but they made it across, _all of them_. Colonnello looked over everyone. Most of them had collapsed on the ground, sobbing in either relief or fear. Some were still on their feet, panting, trying to keep themselves together. Colonnello came to a stop before Tsuna.

"Tsuna…" He said, his voice and face hard, harder than he'd like it to be. "Are you injured." Tsuna shook his head, but held up his arms for Colonnello to check. The blonde gave him a good pat down, looking over him carefully. Tsuna tried not to take it personally. Colonnello needed to protect the others too.

"What happened?" The blonde asked harshly, looking between them. Mostly at Gokudera.

"There was an enraged. Behind a truck." Tsuna blurted, body tensing when Colonnello focused on him. He didn't know why he felt such a need to defend the other teen, but he had a bad feeling about the way Colonnello was looking at the silver haired boy.

"I – I didn't see it…" Gokudera muttered, ashamed. He looked at Tsuna like a kicked puppy. "I'm sorry. Thank – thank you… for saving me…" There seemed to be a slight emphasis on the last word, like Gokudera couldn't believe that Tsuna had risked his life to save him specifically. Tsuna smiled, small and shy.

"Of course." He said, voice surprisingly strong. Gokudera looked shocked, a light dusting of pink settling on his cheeks. An arm came down around Tsuna's shoulder.

"Haha, Tsuna's amazing isn't he?" Yamamoto laughed, but Tsuna could see the worry in his eyes. He had scared the teen. Tsuna realized with a shock that the scream he had heard on the bridge had been Yamamoto. He tried to give the other teen a reassuring look, wrapping his arm around his waist and giving a gentle squeeze. Yamamoto's face softened immediately, and he gave Tsuna a blinding smile. Tsuna looked back to see Gokudera frowning slightly. The teen tilted his head in confusion, but didn't linger on the thought. Colonnello had wandered off by that point, and seemed to be apologising to the Italian adults, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Ah, that whole ordeal he hadn't spoken a word of Italian, had he? They must've just been following the kids. Had Gokudera or Chrome translated for them? Hopefully.

Colonnello let them breathe for another few minutes, let them calm down enough to stand again. Then they were moving. They had to move quickly, after all, if they were going to get out before the city burned.

* * *

They were headed towards a large wall of cars and rubble. A nasty car wreck, probably. One that involved buildings. It was something they could climb, but the enraged couldn't. A good spot to take a break and scout ahead. They hit the blockade, and they climbed. They shoved and pulled, helping each other higher. Movement. Tsuna's head snapped back. He looked around, trying to figure out what caught his eye, and just managed to catch sight of a small child ducking underneath a car. He hesitated, there were enraged further back. But if he could get the child before they saw him… Tsuna scrambled back down the pile, heading straight towards the child. He didn't notice the small alley the boy had come from.

Tsuna scampered down the road as quickly as he dared, glancing around cars and flinching at every body on the ground. He picked his way down carefully, taking far longer than he had hoped. Finally, he made it to the car the child was beneath. He got down low, dropping onto his belly. Large, panicked brown eyes stared at him from underneath. The child was practically hyperventilating.

"Hi…" Tsuna breathed, smiling comfortingly. "My name's Tsuna… Ah…" He stopped. Italian child, probably didn't speak Japanese… Probably… He pointed to himself. "Tsuna." He said. The child squirmed, looking around, then back at Tsuna.

"Fuuta…" He said, quiet as a mouse. His chest wasn't heaving quite so fast now, but he was still breathing too fast. Tsuna smiled as gently as he could, and stretched out a hand. He took it slow, trying not to startle the child.

"Come on." He said soothingly. "I'll take you somewhere safe." A promise. The child hesitated, and Tsuna waved his hand encouragingly. Fuuta looked like he wanted to cry. He slowly started forward, crawling out from beneath the car and straight into Tsuna's arms. Tsuna did his best to pick him up, but he was bigger than the teen had expected.

Tsuna turned, his breath faltered. There was an enraged several feet in front of him. It hadn't seen him yet, but when it did… How had he missed it? That was when he saw it; the mouth of a small alley. And a ton more enraged wandering out of it. Tsuna had never wanted to curse before, but several sprung to mind in that moment. He looked up at the scrap pile. Colonnello was setting up his rifle… but he was out of time. Tsuna was too far down the road to make it past all those enraged. He scrambled onto the car behind him just as he heard the angry snarl. His head snapped back and forth, desperately looking for an escape. That one snarl had gotten the attention of all the enraged in the area.

It was too late. They were completely surrounded…

Everything around him seemed to slow. The enraged crawling forwards even though Tsuna was sure they were running. He couldn't stop himself from shaking. The child in his arms had started crying, clinging to him so tightly it was starting to hurt. The brunet felt dizzy, there were too many enraged for Colonnello to cut through before they got to them. He held the child tight and crouched down on top of the car. It wouldn't do much, but maybe he could buy the child a few more moments? He could hope it would be enough, right? In that moment Tsuna took the time to think about his mother. He pictured her in his head, shuffling around his room. He could practically hear her voice, sighing and chastising him for leaving his room a mess, again. He should've cleaned it up before he left. God, he wanted to see her again. He wanted to be _better_. And he wanted this child to see his family again too. Tsuna hadn't realised. He hadn't realised how much he wanted to make it out of this alive. But he _did_.

The teen didn't notice, but his heartbeat had slowed. He'd stopped trembling. And his eyes had turned a brilliant orange. _He wanted to go home_. He wanted to hear his mother's voice again. For the first time since he'd been dropped into this horror movie, Tsuna felt calm. _He was going home_. And nothing would get in his way. He tapped the child on the back.

"Keep your head low, and hold on tight." His voice was low and steady, not at all like him. But it didn't matter. He was going home. He was going to see his mother again. He was _going home_. He heard the enraged behind him before he saw it. A horrifying snarl that should have frozen Tsuna on the spot. He turned his head minutely, for barely a second. Just enough to see it, to take in what was behind him before he moved. The man charged straight at him, hands reaching. Tsuna backflipped over the enraged. His feet barely touched the tarmac before he was moving again. He shot sideways. Straight into a horde of enraged. Not that he could have avoided it, but it still felt kind of stupid. He didn't stop though. His knife was in his hand before he could register the movement, and he was slashing through an enraged woman's ankle. It wouldn't kill her, obviously, but it would sure as hell slow her down, and that was all Tsuna needed at the moment. It went like that for minutes, seconds, hours, Tsuna couldn't tell. He drove through the crowd, weaving and slashing until he saw his out.

A few metres in front of him there was a high, solid wall. If Tsuna could climb it he could get out of the horde! He registered all of this in a matter of seconds, all the while still cutting his way through the enraged. A hand appeared to his right and he cut it off at the wrist. That should have disgusted him, but it didn't seem to register. It didn't matter. He was getting out of here. He spun, ducked and slashed again. _Timber_.

As he was running, part of Tsuna's hyper-aware mind noticed some of the enraged falling. Colonnello. He shouldn't be wasting bullets. Funny, that was the last thing Tsuna should be thinking. He should be grateful. He should be _relieved._ He shouldn't be thinking it was a waste of bullets to try and protect him. But he did, and it only seemed to spur him on more. He could hear Colonnello's voice now, slow and firm, telling them to conserve bullets if they could help it. Tsuna huffed, spinning behind another enraged and slashing up it's spine. That ought to keep it down. Spin, slash, sprint, stab, repeat. Zigzagging through the horde and the cars. He was almost at the wall. He ran up and over a car, landed on an enraged and somehow managed to snap it's neck as they fell. He kept running. Past another enraged, under another one's legs so they crashed into each other. Up and moving again. Run, run, _run_. He didn't notice he was going faster and faster. Didn't notice he was leaving charred footprints in his wake. Sprint, duck, spin, slash, spin, stab, sprint.

 _He was at the wall_. He burst forward, using the momentum to launch off a car's bumper and force himself up the bricks, grabbing the top and pulling _up_. A hand seized his ankle and yanked him back down. A panicked shout left his mouth, and he kicked backwards. Then the hand was gone. He scrambled onto the wall and looked down. An enraged was lying there with a hole where it's temple had been. A waste of bullets, huh…? Tsuna shook his head and kept moving, running across the top of the wall towards the others. He was _so close_. He could hear their voices now. Yamamoto and Chrome, Kyoko and Hana, Lambo and Gokudera, even _Mochida_ was screaming his name, urging him forward.

He crossed the final stretch, and scrambled back onto the scrap pile where everyone was waiting. Yamamoto pulled him up to the top, a relieved smile carved his lips. Tsuna opened his mouth, hoping to say something reassuring. Nothing came out. He pitched forward, and darkness claimed his vision.

* * *

All he could hear was buzzing and crackling, like static. His thoughts were sluggish, trickling along like molasses. What times was it? Did he have to get ready for school yet? Did he even have school today? What day was it? Small sounds started to bleed through the haze, little noises that sounded suspiciously like _voices._ Voices?

"– keep this up, Colonnello…" Was that Mochida? What was he saying? Colonnello... Memories trickled in. Blood, fear, anger, regret, _determination_. His memories came into sharp focus. Italy, the monsters, _Colonnello_. Tsuna tried to force his eyes open, even a crack, and willed himself to move. His body felt like lead.

He managed to get his eyes open, but all he could see was blinding white. He shut his eyes quickly, and tried to blink his way back into the world. It took an annoying amount of time for his eyes to adjust. Strange, Colonnello hadn't answered Mochida yet… Tsuna kept blinking. Blue sky. He was lying down then. And in the sky… Thick black clouds, like tendrils rising from the city. No, not clouds. _Smoke_. Smoke was billowing upwards from the opposite side of the river. It had started then. The city was burning. Tsuna shivered, attracting the attention of those nearby.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto called in relief. The brunet was practically in the raven's lap… Tsuna tried to sit up, but his head throbbed and there was an unexpected weight on his stomach. He whimpered, and let Yamamoto push him back down. Ah, Fuuta was curled up on top of him.

"That was a pretty mad stunt you pulled there, Sawada." Tsuna blinked up at Mochida, the other teen watching him appraisingly. Funny, that might be the first time Mochida had ever addressed him properly. Yamamoto grinned widely.

"I told you Tsuna was amazing!" He said happily. Mochida gave him a look, but didn't comment. He looked back at Tsuna. It took a moment for the teen to realize he wanted an answer.

"Uhh, I was just thinking… I'm gonna clean my room when I get home…" Tsuna said, oblivious to the looks he was getting. Nobody noticed Colonnello grin.

"What?" One of the other kids managed to get out.

"Maybe I'll learn to cook too…" Tsuna mused, shifting Fuuta slightly to get more comfortable. "Mum's always saying it's such a handy skill to have."

"I think I'll take it easy for a while." Yamamoto piped in. "Pops seems like he's worried I'm pushing myself too hard." He nodded to himself, obviously convinced this was a good idea. Tsuna nodded too, approving. Mochida whipped his head back and forth between them, like he was looking at aliens.

"I think I'll call my sister. She's probably worried about me…" Gokudera said, slightly less gruff than usual. He was staring at Tsuna, something in his eyes that the brunet couldn't identify. He smiled, hopefully encouraging. Gokudera's lips twitched up. There was a calm silence for a while, before Tsuna remembered.

"Mochida," He said, gaining the teen's attention (not that he had really lost it…). "What were you saying before. To Colonnello." The teen grimaced, and looked to the blond. When the man didn't so much as acknowledge him, he turned back.

"You've been out for a while…" He said hesitantly, mulling over his options. "We've gotten pretty far, almost all the way to the field, but…" He trailed off, looking away.

"There's too many." Hana said bluntly. "We can't keep going at this rate. We've already lost another three people scouting." She shook her head. Tsuna felt his blood run cold. He looked around him, and finally noticed how exhausted they all looked. They were all filthy, eyes trained on the ground, some had tears in their eyes. Minami was curled in a ball, head buried between her knees. Her whole body was trembling. Tsuna swallowed. Or tried to. It was hard getting past the lump suddenly constricting his throat.

"I… I'm so–"

" _Don't_." Hana cut off harshly. She grimaced, then shook her head. "I'm not blaming you. No one is. We all agreed to take you with us, and yeah, those asshole Italian adult's actually made us vote." She sent them a glare, but shook her head again. When she looked at him, her eyes blazed.

"We're in this together, all of us. And we _are_ getting out of this, we just…" She looked away again, the fire dying. "We just don't know how yet…"

They all looked to Colonnello. He was sitting by a ledge Tsuna was just now noticing and oh hey, they were in a building. More specifically, they were _on_ a building. He took another quick look around, noting the office desks and chairs blocking the only door. They'd barricaded themselves in. That… did not look at all good. Tsuna shuddered.

"You said I was out for a while…" He said quietly.

"A couple of hours at least." Hana said. "Colonnello told us not to worry, said you were just exhausted from that stunt you pulled off. Like Mochida said, we're almost at the field." She sighed. Tsuna pushed himself up.

"Tsuna…" Yamamoto protested, but the brunet shook his head. Fuuta hesitated briefly, but crawled out of his lap, choosing instead to cling to his sleeve. Tsuna stood, and almost fell back down. Yamamoto made another protesting noise, but settled for helping him. Tsuna wobbled forwards until he was at Colonnello's side. He sat down. Colonnello didn't acknowledge him. He was staring out, face blank, at the enraged below them.

They didn't seem to be high up, probably only a few floors, which would make getting down easier, but yeah… that was a lot of enraged. He studied Colonnello for a moment longer. His face _was_ blank, but Tsuna had a feeling he was angry. Like, _really_ angry. He didn't know what it was; whether it was the way he was holding himself, or the look in his eyes. Tsuna didn't know. But what he was getting from Colonnello was anger. Not uncontrollable, bloodthirsty rage like the monsters below them, but normal, human, _anger_.

"How many bullets have you got left for your rifle?" Tsuna asked, voice neutral. Colonnello didn't look at him.

"Not enough." He said flatly. Tsuna tried not to take the tone personally. He wasn't doing a very good job. But for once, he didn't feel like curling in a ball and crying. No. This time, he felt kinda _mad_. He took a deep breath, let it out slowly.

"Then stop glaring out there like you want to shoot everything and come up with an actual plan." He heard someone choke behind him. Colonnello looked at him like he'd swallowed something sour and wasn't expecting it to be _quite that sour_. Tsuna stared back, cheek slightly puffed.

"Pfft…" Colonnello choked back a laugh, snickering. He shook his head, tipped it back, and shook it again. There was a smile playing on his lips, and Tsuna felt a little bit of tension leave his shoulders.

"Yeah… okay." He said. Tsuna smiled.

* * *

"Okay kora, here's the basic plan: move fast, hit hard, don't die." Colonnello said chipperly. They all stared at him.

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Mochida said incredulously. Colonnello pondered that.

"More or less, but now we're going for more rather than less." He grinned. Mochida's eye twitched.

"How is that a plan!" He exploded. Colonnello grinned wider.

"I said it was the _basic_ plan, didn't I? Kora." He said, grin infuriatingly cocky. If his plan was to get people riled up, it sure was working. Frustration was starting to bubble, but that didn't work for a lot of people. It was a good thing Colonnello knew that.

"Look, I know we're all scared, and the situation looks bad, but I promised I was going to get you guys out of here. And I'm going to. _Kora_." He said. Gentle, genuine, _confidant_.

"How?" Dangan asked simply. It was the first time he'd spoken in a while, at least from what Tsuna had heard.

"You guys are gonna go down and make a run for the field. I'm going to stay up here and throw some stuff off the roof, make some noise to draw some of the enraged away from the front of the building. The field is only a couple of blocks away, so the less we fight right now the better, save the energy for running." He said. They nodded along, swallowing down their fear.

"Now, I don't want you guys to wait for me before you leave the building –" He got some protests at that, but forged on. "You guys need to get out of here as quickly as possible, you've made it alone in groups so far, you can make it now. Wait for me when you get to the entry for the field, _if you can_ , and make _sure_ you cover front _and_ back with guns, _at all times._ Understood, kora?" There was hesitation. Fear. They nodded slowly. Encouraging words moved throughout the group. Squeezing of hands, reassuring pats and nods, quiet understanding. They nodded, scared, but ready. Well, as ready as they'd ever be…

"Alright, wait for as many of them to go as possible, but don't wait too long. Don't want them to come back… And make sure to keep an eye on the hallway before you leave. Buildings seem to be pretty empty, but I don't want you caught off guard. Watch each other's backs. You've got this!" He grinned, eyes alight. There was a general buzz in the air now. Anticipation. It was time.

They all congregated around the door, guns aimed, and moved the make-shift barricade out of the way as quietly as possible. Once they were sure the way was clear, they slowly made their way downstairs, propping either side of the entryway walls. There, they waited. _Crrrr-ash._ Outside the building. What the _hell_ had Colonnello thrown?

"They're moving…" Minami said, voice hushed as she watched the enraged through a window.

"Building's still clear." Dangan reported solemnly.

"How far away have they gotten?" Mochida.

"Most of them have rounded the corner. Some are still looking around though… Ah, never mind, they're dead." This was it. The best time to go. They all steeled their nerves, preparing for their final move.

"Alright. Let's go." They headed out the door.

"Let's get the knives up front and around the sides, try to use the guns as little as possible, too much noise." Dangan said. They all agreed. They manoeuvred quickly and easily into their positions, spreading through the street. They ran. And Tsuna was really starting to feel it. His body was sore and heavy. His lungs were heaving. He wanted to stop, to call a timeout, to take another nap. He kept running. He didn't have time. None of them did. Movement to the left. Tsuna saw Mochida take down an enraged with extreme prejudice. They continued running. Don't stop. Don't stop. Keep moving. Look left, look right, look back. Clear, clear, clear. _Don't stop_.

They broke through the buildings and into an open area before the field. The building stood tall and imposing, seemingly untouched by the violence. They toppled up the steps, sprinted across the pavement and jumped the gates. They stopped. They checked, all around.

"Clear." Dangan breathed in relief. They huddled in the inside of the gates, hiding around the corners, weapons ready. Front and back. Just like Colonnello said.

"Where's Colonnello?" Kyoko said nervously. Tsuna swallowed. They waited. A flash of movement, guns up. Colonnello ducked out from behind a building and crept through the streets as fast as creeping allowed. He stayed low behind a few cars, before picking up speed and bolting towards them. He jumped the gates and they released a collective breath.

"Everyone good?" He asked. They nodded. "Great!" He grinned. "Let's go."

He motioned to Miss Carver, had a short conversation, and stuck to her side like glue when she started leading. They all followed, a mass movement of scared kids and adults.

"I didn't hear any gunshots." Colonnello said conversationally. Dangan shrugged.

"We didn't wanna make too much noise." He said. Colonnello grinned.

"Good." They kept moving. They followed Miss Carver down a series of halls and into an underground parking lot. She said something to Colonnello.

"Okay," He said. "Miss Carver says the easiest way to get to the grounds is through the employee parking lot, which leads beneath the stands. She says the player entrance to the grounds can be reached through there." They made their way slowly through the car park, Miss Carver occasionally biting her lip and motioning in a certain direction. They all followed quietly, flinching at every little noise. Someone sneezed. Tsuna almost jumped out of his skin.

"We need to be quiet, kora. Sound echoes a lot down here and we don't want to draw any attention…" Colonnello had barely finished the sentence when Tsuna saw it. His face immediately drained of colour, eyes widening in fear.

"Get down!" He screamed, dragging the people closest to him to the floor. There was a garbled scream as air rushed over their heads. A loud crash echoed behind them as the car smashed into the ground. They all looked up as a furious roar echoed around the area. It sounded like something out of a horror movie, loud and, for lack of a better term, _enraged_. Fifty feet in front of them stood a huge man, muscles bulging even in the tightfitting white tank top and camouflage pants. Tsuna's face went green.

"What were you saying about being quiet?!" Hana snapped.

" _Run!_ " Colonnello shouted. No one needed telling twice. They all shoved themselves off the ground and bolted, a couple crying out in despair for those who hadn't ducked quickly enough. Loud, thumping steps crashed through the lot towards them, picking up speed with every stride. Several kids screamed, following the Enraged man's example and moving faster.

"Where are we going?!" Mochida shrieked, scooping up Fuuta as he sprinted by the child.

"Hell if I know!" Colonnello yelled back. Trying to keep Miss Carver up the front.

"Go left!" Gokudera said, taking the lead and veering slightly to the left. They all followed him, skidding around a corner and through a doorway as it came. There was a heavy _crunch_ and another furious roar.

"He's stuck!" Someone called elatedly, prompting all of them to turn and look.

"He'll make it through, _keep moving_." Colonnello ordered, yanking a couple of kids as he passed. They followed without question, sprinting down the wide hallway. "How far to the field?" He asked Gokudera, the silver-haired teen chewed his lip in response. " _How_ _far_?"

"I don't know!" He snapped back. "It's been a while okay? I haven't been here since I was a kid!" All of the sudden there were panicked screams from behind them.

"He's through!" A girl wailed, thumping footsteps accompanying her statement.

"It's just up ahead!" Gokudera yelled back.

"They're in front of us!" Mochida snapped, voice panicked as he spotted several enraged running towards them from their front.

"Keep running," Colonnello said, ignoring the terrified replies. "Hit the wall on my mark!" They ran, faster than most of them had ever run before, and waited for the call. There were tears in most of their eyes as the footsteps grew louder and faster behind them, and the enraged in front of them got closer every second. They could all see the light filtering in from the field, just out of reach. Finally, Colonnello yelled.

" _Now!_ " They slammed into the wall, just as the huge Enraged man crashed passed them and barrelled straight into the enraged horde in front of them. He'd missed them. _Almost_ all of them. Tsuna hadn't even asked their names. Some of the kids sobbed, half grief, half relief, but started stumbling towards the opening anyway.

" _Colonnello, where are you? Over._ " Lal's voice crackled through the speaker of his radio. He could hear bullets through the speaker. Colonnello barely paused to answer.

"Almost there, warm her up! Out!" He replied at the same time Tsuna screeched his name.

"Colonnello!" The brunet cried, flailing his arm back the way they came. A small mass of Enraged was pouring through the open door, roaring towards them.

" _Shit_! Go!" He cursed in Italian, not that it mattered, since they seemed to understand anyway. "Go, go, go! Final sprint!" He ordered. They all raced through the opening, tearing through the large field towards the helicopter in the centre. Lal was waiting, crouching inside the helicopter as the blades slowly started spinning.

"Come on!" She yelled, waving them forwards. A couple of kids screamed as the larger enraged roared again. "What the hell was that?!" Lal shouted.

"Never mind!" Colonnello screamed back. They were _so close_. The helicopter blades were whirring, constantly picking up speed. Tsuna's heart was pounding in his chest so hard, he thought it would burst. Lal started firing as enraged started flowing through the opening. Kids finally hit the edge, scrambling through the large open door to make room. Tsuna slammed into the helicopter and dragged Chrome in with him, Yamamoto helping to pull them up. There were still a few left. Colonnello brought up the back, shooting and running at the same time.

"Come on!" Lal called again, still shooting. Dangan started firing too. That was when the huge one made its reappearance with a thunderous roar.

" _What. The. Fuck._ " Lal growled aggressively in Italian. Tsuna got the general idea anyway. The last couple of kids leapt into the helicopter, Colonnello following close behind.

"That's everyone!" He shouted to Reborn, immediately turning to Lal. "Do we have a grenade launcher?" He asked her hurriedly, dragging a box closer to him.

" _No?!_ " Lal cried back, her bullets having no effect on the largest Enraged. It was halfway across the field.

"Yes!" Tsuna shrieked manically, a lightbulb flicking on over his head. He had only been to a few of his practices, but that was all he needed. He snatched one of the grenades out of the open box and shoved it into Yamamoto's hands, the pin slipped around his finger.

"Yamamoto, batter up!" He said determinedly. Yamamoto gave him a fiery grin as he turned and launched the grenade towards the last threat, even as the helicopter finally started to lift off the ground. Everyone gaped for a moment as the bomb whistled through the air, frozen in wonder as it sailed straight towards the intended target. _Boom!_ The grenade exploded the second it hit the enormous man. They all cheered, the helicopter rising higher and higher each second.

Mochida turned to Tsuna, a dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Grenade launcher?" He breathed. Tsuna flushed a brilliant red as the raven snorted. They both fell into a fit of hysterics a moment later. The other teens followed quickly, laughing loud and unrestrained in relief. It only lasted a moment. Laughter turned into gasping breaths, which turned into sobs, until finally the small group dissolved into tears. They cried, they wailed, they screamed. Until there was nothing left. They fell asleep, pressed close against each other just to remind themselves that they were okay. They were _alive_. Colonnello had been dragged into the mass at some point and was gladly taking a nap with them, utterly exhausted. Lal knew it might be inappropriate, but she pulled out her phone and took a picture anyway. Proof. Proof that the moment was real. Proof that this man, these kids, made it out alive. Proof that all of this wasn't for nothing.

* * *

 **AN:** Manoeuvred is the _worst_ word to spell. Anyway, this will probably be updated fairly slowly because I haven't gotten back into a rhythm for writing again, and life's pretty hectic at the moment. Constructive criticism is _welcome_. Hope you all enjoyed!

 _ **Final Team!:**_ Tsuna, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Chrome, Hana, Kyoko, Mochida, Fuuta, Lambo, Minami Kaze (Last Name, First Name, OC, female, track team), Dangan Shageki (Last Name, First Name, OC, male, gun range parents), Miss Carver (Italian, OC, female), plus a few randoms probably


	3. Target 3 - Safe At Last?

**Target 3 – Safe at Last?**

The helicopter was oddly quiet when they touched down. Tsuna hoped he was imagining the tension in Lal's shoulders. Colonnello was still lounging in their little huddle, and at this stage Tsuna couldn't really feel his legs. He didn't mind, though. Yamamoto was pressed into his right, Chrome, Fuuta and Lambo were somehow sharing his legs, and he himself was wrenched almost uncomfortably under Colonnello's arm. He wasn't sure who was behind him, but they were starting to squirm. Nobody moved. It wasn't until a couple of soldiers were running towards them that things started. Colonnello sat up, finally, almost taking Tsuna with him before he managed to pop his head out of the man's arm. He pouted up at him, but the blond just grinned. He ruffled his hair and jumped out of the helicopter, standing just outside with an easy grace that Tsuna was immediately envious of.

The soldiers arrived, looking none too welcoming. Tsuna tried not to squirm. They exchanged words in Italian, and there was _ice_ in Colonnello's tone. Tsuna shuddered. Whatever they were talking about, it couldn't be good. He glanced at Hana. The girl looked pale, a little sick. Tsuna swallowed down the lump quickly rising in his throat. Reborn (Tsuna thought that was his name) looked blessedly unruffled, picking at his nails in apparent boredom. He spoke then, and the soldier in front of them sneered. Colonnello spoke again, snappish at best. Tsuna could only watch, and wait.

Colonnello _fumed_. He hadn't expected a warm welcome, sure, but he sure as hell didn't think he'd need to bargain for the kid's lives.

"Follow me." Brégo finally said, unrepentant. When Colonnello got the all clear… He scowled. The kids shuffled nervously behind him, and he forced himself to breathe. He rolled the tension out of his shoulders and threw an easy smile over his shoulder.

"Come on, they're taking us in now." He said, as casually as possible. They huddled behind him as they walked and he felt himself tense again. They shouldn't have to be this afraid. They were safe. He looked around, at all the faces watching them, weary and cold. No. They weren't safe. Not yet. He barely stopped himself from barring his teeth, that wouldn't help. Instead, he grit them tight and kept moving, occasionally murmuring reassurance over his shoulder.

Reborn was separated from them quickly. He was dangerous after all. They'd probably keep him away from everyone as long as possible. They couldn't hold him forever though. The rest of them went through an entire camp of cold calculation, the kids pressing further and further into his back as they walked. Or was he slowing down for them? He couldn't tell. Finally, _finally_ , they reached isolation. It wasn't a usual site for an army camp, but given the circumstances, they needed to have one. They'd probably make one especially for Reborn too, just for the sake of it. This was going to be difficult though, at least 80% of them were Japanese and couldn't speak a lick of Italian. He grimaced, this wasn't going to be fun.

Tsuna wanted to balk at the large, white building at the edge of the camp. He was fairly sure it was the only proper building he'd seen, the rest simply over-sized tents. He didn't know why, but the stark contrast made him uncomfortable. Colonnello paused at the entrance. He took a deep breath.

"Okay guys, I'm gonna be honest – this next part isn't gonna be fun, kora." He said, voice low with apology. "This building here is acting as an isolation ward, to make sure that if someone gets infected, the entire camp doesn't get done in. Kora, what's gonna happen is this: they're gonna take everything we have, and burn it." Several gasps met this, but he forged on. "Then, we're gonna have sanitisation showers, and they're gonna make sure we all do a _real_ good job scrubbing. Finally, we're all gonna get cooped up for several hours in little cells to make sure we don't go on a rampage, until we're deemed clear. Then we can all get something to eat, not like camp rations are any good though, kora."

Tsuna wanted to laugh at the little joke, really he did, but he was starting to get a little panicky. His hands trembled. It hadn't ended. They were out of the city, they were surrounded by soldiers, but they still weren't safe. It hadn't ended. Tsuna almost sobbed. He swallowed it down, and followed Colonnello inside. Lambo was on Kyoko-chan's shoulder, chattering away in Italian, and Fuuta was clinging to Tsuna's leg. The poor thing looked terrified. Wide eyes staring at every little detail they could soak up. Tsuna rested a hand on his head, and tried for a comforting smile when he looked up. Fuuta gave a tiny smile back, but it immediately dropped when someone cleared their throat. Tsuna froze when he saw the hazmat suit. His heartbeat picked up and for a very horrible minute he thought they were all going to die. Then Colonnello started speaking again.

"These guys are going to take our stuff, kora. Don't be intimidated, they won't hurt you." Tsuna didn't quite believe that last part.

"Girls, follow me." Lal piped up, and Tsuna jumped slightly. That was the first time he'd heard her speak Japanese. Honestly, at this stage, he shouldn't even be surprised… The girls went through a separate door, and everything happened at once. The hazmat suits moved forward and everyone was taking off their clothes. Tsuna tried very hard not to stare at Colonnello's abs. _Very hard_. He resolutely kept his eyes from dropping until he heard a whimper. Fuuta was standing next to him, still fully clothed, clutching a book. There was a hazmat in front of him and Tsuna had to swallow down full blown _panic._ A hysteric scream built up in his chest, and he dropped to Fuuta's level a little too fast. The boy flinched, whimpered. Tsuna winced. He tried for a little smile. Fuuta stared up at him, eyes watery, and _god_ , those eyes were going to kill him. His heart dropped.

"Hey," He said softly, watching the boy shuffle closer. "I know you don't want to, but you have to give that to the person over there." He nodded towards the hazmat behind him, who was staying blessedly still. Fuuta shook his head. He only clutched the book tighter. Tsuna's chest felt like ice. He shivered, eyed the hazmat. Tsuna carefully pat the boy's hair.

"How about this? When we get someplace safe, I'll buy you another book, okay? Anything you want. I know it's not the same, but… please?" He begged quietly. Fuuta hesitated, fingers white around the edges of his book. It was a tatty old thing, falling apart at the seams. Tsuna wondered how long he'd had it. How much it meant to him. He swallowed down the guilt.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly. "I'm so sorry…" He slowly lowered his hand, and gently tugged the book. Fuuta cried, but he let it go. Tsuna took it gingerly, and handed it to the overly keen hazmat suit. He tried not to glare at them. Fuuta held his hands out and Tsuna quickly and quietly helped the boy undress, taking him by the hand and trotting towards Colonnello, Gokudera and Yamamoto, who were waiting by another door. Colonnello smiled at him, all soft regret and encouragement.

"Showers are this way." He said gently. Tsuna nodded.

* * *

Tsuna didn't like the showers either, the pressure was too high, the soap made his nose sting, and they _kept telling him to wash again_. He had to have washed at least five times, painfully scrubbing until his skin was pink. He didn't think he'd lost that much hair to a shower in all his years of life. Colonnello had snapped at the hazmat's several times for being too rough and rushing them. At least, Tsuna was fairly sure it was along those lines when Colonnello quickly and softly relayed their instructions. Fuuta was still crying, and Tsuna had to wash him too. He felt awful. Lambo seemed more annoyed and impatient than upset, thank god, and Tsuna really wasn't sure how he'd ended up the designated child-carer. Honestly, he could barely take care of himself! Finally, they were deemed ready.

Several too large shirts and pants later, and they were all sitting in the little plastic rooms Colonnello had told them about. There were too many of them, though, so some of them were doubled up. Tsuna was with the kids (again, why?!), Yamamoto and Gokudera were next to him (the Italian did _not_ seem happy about this), and Hana and Kyoko were together too. Tsuna noted that Colonnello and Lal were both alone, and on opposite sides of the room. He shivered at the implications. Fuuta had curled up in his lap, still quietly sniffling. Lambo was getting impatient. He had too much energy. The entire room was tense. Tsuna's belly coiled and uncoiled in nervous discomfort.

He didn't know what to do… he didn't know what to do, so he started singing. It was a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him when he was little. After he'd had nightmares. He couldn't remember all the words, and it was probably out of tune, but the kids were both staring at him like he was the only thing that mattered. Lambo sat down on his leg, Fuuta rested his chin against his chest. He kept singing. Kyoko joined in after a couple of verses, her sweet voice probably much more comforting than his. He gave her a sheepish smile. She beamed at him, and he swore he nearly died right there. Soon, in the quiet of the too white room, they drifted off to sleep.

Tsuna woke to a _bang_. He jolted so badly, both kids fell off him. Several people screamed. What was happening?! He heard another bang. Was that gunfire? Tsuna looked around, panic rising in his throat. Everyone was up now, talking and yelling and crying. But it was muted, nothing but an echo in Tsuna's mind. His breathing was too fast, too hard. It was all he could hear.

He wasn't entirely sure why he ended up looking left. Reassurance maybe? Colonnello had taken care of them this whole time, he would take care of them now, right? The blond wasn't looking at him, mouth moving like he was talking. What was he saying? Tsuna couldn't hear him… He saw him though. He saw the hand pressed against the plastic next to him, like the blond was desperately trying to reach him, to reassure him. Tsuna raised his hand, slowly pressed his fingers against Colonnello's. He could almost feel the warmth through the plastic. The blond's head snapped towards him, relief tinged his eyes. He splayed his palm a little wider, and Tsuna swore he saw blue curling around their fingers. He blinked. His breathing slowed, and his vision cleared. He hadn't even realised it had started to blur… He felt, surprisingly, _calm_. He looked around. Everyone was panicking. Gokudera was screaming what sounded like a litany of curses at the guards, Minami was rocking on the ground crying, Mochida was banging on the plastic demanding to know what was going on. A guards gun twitched up. Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_. _Not good_. Very not good. So, so bad. What did he do? What _could_ he do? Colonnello was focusing on the others again, calling out and trying to calm them down. The blue was still twirling around their fingers. Tsuna cracked.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star," He started. Gokudera stared at him like he'd grown another head. "How I wonder what you are…" A little louder, a little less shaky. A few more people were staring at him now. God, this was so embarrassing... He forged on.

"Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky," He sang, starting to do the little motions his mother had taught him now that the kids were looking. The blue was gone from his fingers. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." _Shit_ , what was the second verse? Uhhh…

"What's your favourite song?" He asked Fuuta quietly instead. The boy blinked at him, and for a moment Tsuna didn't think he'd answer. Then he started singing. In Italian. Well, Tsuna supposed he deserved that. He smiled encouragingly, and the child sung a little louder. It sounded sweet, whatever it was, so it was probably a lullaby or child's song of some sort. After another moment, the child stopped.

"I don't remember the rest…" He said shyly. Tsuna smiled.

"That's okay, it's my turn again." He said, wracking his brains for something to sing, and settling on one of the children's cartoons he totally didn't watch in the mornings. He started singing, a catchy little tune, he'd admit. Mochida snorted. Tsuna glared at him.

"You recognise it." He huffed, before continuing to sing. Mochida resolutely looked away, pink tinging his cheeks. Yamamoto laughed, and joined him singing. Soon, most of the Japanese kids were singing it, bopping along to the stupid song from a kids show that none of them should watch. Tsuna chanced a glance at the guards. They looked a little awkward, but not like they were going to shoot anybody. Thank god for that. They all kept singing, switching from toon to toon, even adding in some popular pop songs. They flinched when they heard gunfire. Some started crying again when an explosion rocked their little building. They kept singing.

* * *

Tsuna doesn't know how long they were in the rooms, most of them had dozed off again after it had quieted down. They still hadn't been told what happened. At this stage, Tsuna was passed caring. One of the guards at the end of the hall shuffled to the side, revealing a slightly older woman.

"You're all clear now. Free to go." Her voice was deeper than Tsuna expected. Sterner. It was also heavily accented, much more so than Colonnello or Lal. Speaking of, the two immediately stood up, calmly waiting by the doors to be released. The kids were slower, more hesitant. A quiet buzz filled the room as door after door was unlocked, the survivors merging into a heap in the center. A hand scuffed Tsuna's hair and he looked up to see Colonnello grinning down at him.

"Let's get something to eat, kora!" He said enthusiastically. Tsuna couldn't help but grin.

The mess area was, well, a _mess_. There were soldiers strewn about all over the place, and there was as much food on the floor as there was on plates. All things considering, it was pretty vibrant. People were laughing, and messing around, and having _fun_. Their group eagerly soaked up the new energy, milling about but never straying too far apart.

"Food's over here, kora!" Colonnello called, waving them over to a tent stacked with crates. The poor soldier manning it looked pretty flustered with the sudden cacophony of loud teenagers eager for food. Though Tsuna figured they couldn't be any worse than rowdy soldiers.

Soon, they all had various kinds of foods, and even desserts, snacks and weird drink mixes to go with it. Colonnello told him that the MRE's had to meet certain requirements for calorie, and vitamin and mineral intake. Tsuna wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he guessed that at least they were eating properly. After that, Colonnello had to corral a bunch of hyperactive kids into a general space so he could show them how to eat their meals properly.

"Everybody round up! Kora! _Get your ass back over here_ , you little shit!" He yelled and laughed, and the kids laughed too, running around and generally causing mayhem, as young teens are wont to do. Lambo jumped into Tsuna's lap the second he sat down and started trying to steal his food.

"Lambo! Eat yours."

"Want yours!"

"It's exactly the same!"

"Gyahahaha!"

Fuuta quietly sat down next to him. He was so well-behaved, honestly. Tsuna smiled at him, and gave him a quick squeeze, and the child beamed up at him. Chrome was quick to sit down with him, and Gokudera and Yamamoto followed suit. Unfortunately, kids with little to no cooking experience were awful with preparing food, and most of them ended up needing Colonnello's help. He ended up confiscating Gokudera's heater, because he managed to set his food on fire, even though it was _flameless_. Tsuna ended up wearing half of Lambo's food, and feeding the child half of his, because he had far too much energy for his own good. Honestly, Tsuna _swore_ he'd seen sparks coming off the child at one point. Which was terrifying, and Tsuna hoped it never happened again.

It was all going fine. Until they were heading in for the night. Another group of soldiers were just arriving back from the ravaged city, and Tsuna suddenly felt sick. He didn't know why, there was seemingly no reason. His eyes tracked one of the men that had just gotten off the truck. He looked exhausted. They all did. Tsuna couldn't look away. His heart thumped harder and faster against his chest, a heavy feeling settled in his gut. He started shaking. Tsuna grabbed Colonnello's sleeve. He heard his name, but all his focus was still on that one man. He felt a hand settle on the back of his neck, squeezing gently. That was when he heard the _click_. Tsuna recognised it. He had heard it enough in the last day, too many times, not to. The click of the safety on a gun. It was like there was a collective breath being held between them all, a group of tired kids and the soldier who'd saved them. Time froze for just a second. Then everything was moving. One of the soldiers cracked a joke, slapping the other on the shoulder. The man snapped, brushed him off. The soldier looked confused, concerned. The man snarled, a vicious sound. Too angry, too loud, too _inhuman_. Tsuna saw the gun in the corner of his vision. The first soldier let out a despairing sound. He stopped the man when he attacked, and Colonnello pulled the trigger. A loud, sharp _crack_. Tsuna didn't know why he thought of the man who saved him on the bridge.

The soldiers were quickly corralled into isolation after that, and Tsuna dearly hoped that none of the others were infected. Colonnello and Lal took their group to a couple of large tents on the outskirts of the camp.

"These were set up specifically for you guys, kora…" Colonnello trailed off, eyes caught on something behind them. Tsuna turned and saw the same lady who had released them from isolation. Colonnello's face was eerily blank. "I'll be back in a sec." Lal quickly grabbed their attention.

"Alright brats, these are the tents you'll be using for the night. Girls on the left, boys on the right. Me and the idiot will be staying with you for the night to keep an eye on you." She said, picking up from where Colonnello left off. Tsuna barely heard her, eyes fixed on Colonnello and the woman he was talking to. They didn't seem to be arguing, but they both seemed tense. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Yamamoto tugging on his elbow.

"Let's go, I'm sure he'll be in soon." He said lightly, easily. Tsuna smiled gratefully, stole one last look at the blond before following his friend. Colonnello was only gone for another few minutes, and when he entered the tent the tension was gone from his shoulders. Tsuna smiled, relieved. Colonnello grinned right back.

* * *

The next morning found Tsuna wandering around looking for a place to go to the bathroom. Colonnello hadn't been around when he woke up, and Tsuna had wanted to wait for him, really he had, but he'd _really_ needed to go, and hadn't known how long Colonnello would be gone or even if he was coming back at all (he shuddered at the thought of the soldier leaving them, but he had other things to do besides babysit a bunch of kids). On his semi-aimless walk, Tsuna stumbled onto a fight. Gokudera and one of the soldiers were spitting words at each other, and glaring like it was about to get physical. Tsuna panicked. Just a little.

"Gokudera-kun!" He blurted without thought. Two heads swivelled towards him. He tensed. They both looked ready to bite his head off. "Umm… Colonnello wanted everyone to gather up…" A lie. Not even a good one. Gokudera gave a short, curt nod. The soldier sneered. Gokudera started moving towards Tsuna, hedging around the soldier so as not to turn away from him. He sped up once he was closer to Tsuna, grabbed him by the arm, and hauled them off towards somewhere that was hopefully safer. Tsuna forgot all about needing the bathroom... After a moment to catch their breath and look around, Gokudera turned to him.

"Where's Colonnello-san?" He asked, voice a little tight. Tsuna blinked.

"Oh. Uh… I don't actually know? I haven't seen him this morning…" He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Gokudera's eyes had gotten a little bit wider with every word, until finally he looked comically shocked.

"You… me… _again_ …?" It took Tsuna a moment to decipher the stilted words, but he got the gist. Hopefully.

"Well… I mean… that soldier looked like he was about to pick a fight, and that's not really safe, since you're just a kid, and I'm fairly sure he had a gun at least, and –"

"Thanks." Gokudera blurted, interrupting Tsuna's rant. The brunet flushed a cherry red, and nodded quickly. "Thanks…" He said again, quieter, _meek_. Which… yeah, that really didn't suit the teen. Tsuna just gave a small, rueful smile.

"Of course." He said. Gokudera stared long enough that Tsuna started fidgeting. "Let's uh… Let's get something to eat? I'm starving." Gokudera blinked. Nodded stiltedly. They both started moving, an easy aimlessness guiding them.

* * *

Miles away, Iemitsu was just getting the news that a town had been destroyed. The Rage Virus. He grimaced. That was something he'd rather not have to witness first hand. Still, Rabia… Why did the name of the town sound familiar? Hadn't he heard it not that long ago? On a report maybe… He shuffled through a few files, eager for a distraction. Paperwork never suited him anyway… It took him a moment (probably longer than it should've), but he found it. In a brief report about Tsuna's location. Iemitsu's mouth went dry. His eyes scanned the document. He read it again. And again, and again, and again. His stomach roiled and he bent over. This couldn't be right… it couldn't be! His little Tuna-fishy… He sat up straight.

"Oregano!" He was disgusted by how weak his voice sounded. The woman practically broke his door down.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, frantic eyes darting around the room. He couldn't speak. The lump in his throat rising and sticking. He shoved the paperwork towards her. Desperate. It had been a long time since he had felt something even remotely similar to this… The woman scanned the information quickly, eyes going wide. She bit her lip. Her silence was almost too much. Her eyes snapped up.

"Lal was stationed in that area, I believe." She said, quietly confidant. Iemitsu snatched up the chance.

"Call her." His voice was nothing more than a rasp. The woman whipped out her phone, and dialled. Iemitsu waited.

* * *

"Tsuna?" Lal said conversationally. Why did that name sound familiar? She twisted the soldier's arm behind his back, ignoring the threats spat in her general direction. Honestly, idiot asked her for a spar and actually expected to win? She contained a scoff.

"Yes, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Iemitsu's son. We have a report stating that he went on a trip. To Rabia." There was a pregnant pause while Lal let that sink in.

"Ah." She said. Tsuna… Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna. Wasn't that the fluffy one that Colonnello favoured? "Give me a minute." She finally released the soldiers arm, ignoring his cursing as she wandered over to the mess area. Most of the kids were still clinging to Colonnello, and he was being a good little influence over the children by eating when he was supposed to instead of picking fights or showing off. Lal scoffed. Softie.

As predicted, Colonnello and a bunch of his brats were cluttered around the mess area, eating god knows what from the army dispensary. Honestly, Colonnello was lucky the big boss had decided to take responsibility for them, otherwise they'd have been screwed. Ah, the fluffy one was there, some kind of cracker hanging out of his mouth.

"Tsuna." She called, attracting the brat's attention. He blinked owlishly at her, brown eyes surprisingly alert. Okay, so he was kind of cute… She slammed a hand down on top of his head, eliciting a squeak, and took a quick photo of the brat. She shot it off to Oregano.

"Sent you a photo." She said easily, massaging the kid's head. Damn, his hair was as soft as it looked… How the hell did it stay so fluffed up all the time? She heard a sigh of relief over the phone.

"That's him. He's alive, he's safe." Oregano said, the relief clear in her voice. Lal swore she heard a sob over the line. She clicked her tongue. _Soft_.

"Tell the idiot to calm down, the brat's safe. We've got him." She said calmly. Colonnello had perked up by now, looking at her curiously. He knew better than to interrupt.

"Hold on." Oregano said, and Lal paused. Was she actually going to relay that? Usually she dialled it down… "Iemitsu says he's going to pick you up." She said after a while.

"Huh?" Lal sad flatly. Like _hell_. She was enjoying watching Colonnello being coddled. Stupid soft little…

"He wants to make sure Tsunayoshi gets home safely. Can you really blame him, after a scare like that?" Oregano said softly. Lal scowled.

"Yes." She said grouchily. She should probably be grateful. It was less time with them here, which meant less danger for them. It also meant less time watching Colonnello and his goofy smile. She definitely didn't want to pout at the thought. Not at all. Bastards. She heard Oregano sigh.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Dad of the year, _whatever_." She groused, finally slipping her fingers out of the brat's hair. He pouted. Cute. _Not_. Fuck. _Whatever_. "He takin' the rest with him? Brat probably won't like it if you just grab him." Colonnello frowned. Big fucking softie. A moment of silence.

"Of course. We'll take all the survivors to their city of choice. That way we won't be seen as favouring anybody, it'll help us keep our agenda quiet. We'll make it a public thing." Oregano started talking logistics, so Lal tuned her out. Colonnello was trying to stare a hole through her head, but she ignored him too.

"Good news brats," She said, waiting for their attention to turn to her. "You're all going home."

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry for the long wait on Chap 3, though I did warn you about my awful writing schedule atm. I also want to thank everybody for their amazing reviews! Seriously, thank you guys so much. I did some quick research on MRE's (Meals, Ready-to-Eat) in armies, and they've got a surprising amount of stuff in them. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Target 4 - Homebound

**Target 4 - Homebound**

Tsuna almost broke down when Lal told him what happened. On top of everything, finding out his father was alive was almost too much to handle. He shook uncontrollably. Yamamoto immediately gathered him into his arms, running soothing hands down his sides. Lal looked confused, so did Colonnello. The ones from his class though, the ones that knew he didn't have a father, they only looked surprised, and a couple looked pretty _pissed_. Tsuna trembled. He tried desperately not to cry. His father… alive? He hadn't seen him in _years_ …

"Is he okay?" Tsuna mumbled confusedly. Lal looked puzzled.

"He's fine. A little worried, but that's not unusual, given the situation." She said, though there was a hint of something in her voice. There was something prodding yes, looking for answers. But there was also something a little darker, a little more like _malice_. She might be putting things together. He should probably give her an answer anyway… Tsuna sniffled, turned slightly in Yamamoto's arms so he could see her properly. Tsuna's eyes flicked to Colonnello too. His eyes were hard.

"I haven't seen my father since I was eight." He said, and they both _reeled_. "My mother told me he 'turned into a star', which is basically a nice way of telling kids that people are dead."

Colonnello immediately turned to Lal.

"What the _fuck_." He snapped.

"Don't snap at me, asshole, I didn't know anything about this!" She said, clearly just as shocked and frustrated as he was. They both looked back to Tsuna, his eyes now wide.

"Iemitsu's Mafia." Reborn said, as if that answered everything. Colonnello scowled at his sudden arrival. "The kid's a civilian."

"So, what? You're saying that asshole let his kid think he was dead to keep him away from the Mafia?" Colonnello said, voice hard. Lal shifted, second sentence and he still hadn't said Kora. Reborn shrugged, unflinching.

"Iemitsu's an idiot. It wouldn't really surprise me." He said blandly, sipping on the expresso he'd gotten from god knows where. Probably Leon, if Colonnello thought about it for more than two seconds. He breathed hard through his nose, tried to stop himself from trembling in anger. That wouldn't help Tsuna. He closed the distance between them, ran a comforting hand through his hair. Tsuna leaned into it eagerly.

"Colonnello." Lal said warningly. He only shifted closer. She sighed.

"Don't get attached." She said, voice almost melancholy. "You can't keep him…" And all Colonnello could think – the only thing on his mind – _why not_? He watched as Tsuna pushed further into his hand, nuzzling into his touch. The only thing he could see. _Why not?_

* * *

His father was tall. And blond. Tsuna didn't know why that tidbit pissed him off so much. They had been taken to an airfield, where small planes and private jets were waiting to take them home. Iemitsu was standing in the entry of the hangar (that's what Colonnello had called it), looking haggard. Tsuna frowned. Shuffled closer to Colonnello. He ran a hand through Tsuna's hair, and Tsuna couldn't help but lean into it. He'd been doing that a lot. Leaning into Colonnello's space. He knew he probably shouldn't. Personal space was a _thing_. He found that he couldn't really help it though. Colonnello was warmth, and safety, and hope. He radiated this tranquil, _powerful_ sort of aura that Tsuna breathed in desperately. His moment of peace was shattered by his father's sudden interruption.

"Tuna-fishy~" He cooed, eagerly coming towards them. Tsuna hunched immediately, warmth flooding his cheeks. _God_ , had it been a long time since anyone had called him that.

"Please don't call me that." He said, awkwardly trying to back away. "I'm almost sixteen you know…" Maybe he was a 'little tuna-fishy' when his father had last seen him, but he wasn't anymore… Tsuna pursed his lips, an uncomfortable warmth settling in his chest. The grabby hands his father was making certainly didn't help.

"Huh?" Colonnello said inelegantly. "No, you're like fourteen. Thirteen even." Tsuna sputtered, flushing an indignant shade of red.

"I'm fifteen, I'll be sixteen in two months! I'm in my first year of high school!" He protested while Yamamoto laughed.

"Tsuna's just small!" He said gleefully. Tsuna squeaked.

"Yamamoto!"

"Hahaha!"

"Huh…" Colonnello sounded a little stumped. He looked to Lal. She rolled her eyes. "Who knew."

His father didn't let his protest get to him though, cooing over 'his little tuna-fishy' the whole way into the hangar. The group separated almost immediately, going off to investigate. Most of them _were_ just teenagers after all. Only the adults seemed to stick close, antsy and uncomfortable. Gokudera loitered too, but he seemed to be giving Iemitsu a wide berth. Tsuna frowned. That was weird… He glanced at the silver-haired teen, only to find him watching him. His eyes flicked from Tsuna, to Iemitsu, and back again. He looked confused, and troubled. Tsuna's frown deepened. Did Gokudera know his father?

His father, who was being a royal pain. He kept on slapping Tsuna's back, ruffling his hair, cooing at him, squeezing his shoulder. He was acting like a _father_ , Tsuna supposed. It only served to make him uncomfortable. He barely knew this man. This man, who he'd thought was dead for almost eight years. This man wasn't his father… He was a stranger. It made Tsuna very, very uncomfortable. He tried to relax the tension in his shoulders, but hunched right back up when his father placed a hand on them. He clenched his teeth. Just a little while longer… He wouldn't stick around after they got home, right? It didn't seem like Tsuna would be that lucky…

Iemitsu was talking about what they'd do when they got back to Namimori. How much he'd missed Nana, and couldn't wait to see her. How much fun they'd have. Tsuna's stomach roiled with discomfort. He was talking like nothing had happened. He was talking like he'd only been gone for a month, like he'd gone for a business trip or something. Like he hadn't left Tsuna and his mother _alone_ for _years_ to ridicule. His hand was still on his shoulder… Tsuna itched to shake him off. To seek out Yamamoto, or Colonnello, or Chrome. Maybe he could figure out what was bothering Gokudera. Hell, he'd even settle for Mochida right now… Iemitsu yanked him into a hug. Tsuna froze. His breath hitched. Iemitsu was laughing about something Tsuna hadn't heard. It felt like ice had been shoved down his shirt. He trembled.

"Get off!" A little too loud, a little too panicked. Tsuna shoved himself away from his father, grip loosened from shock, and stumbled back a few steps. He was surrounded almost instantly. The conjunction was a little messy, kids slamming into each other before scrambling into their proper positions. A tight formation formed around him, ready to defend, eyes watching for even the slightest hint of a threat. Colonnello immediately worked on calming them down.

"Easy, guys. _Kora_ , come on, ease up. There's no danger here. Tsuna's dad just got a little excited!" He soothed, even chuckling a little. He quickly turned to the man in question, who looked more than a little baffled by the response he was getting. "And _you_ , try to remember the shit-show these kids just survived. They're gonna be on edge, so keep a lid on that overenthusiasm. _Kora_." Iemitsu didn't seem to appreciate the tone, but he smiled regardless. He let out a little chuckle, cooed a sorry in Tsuna's general direction. Tsuna didn't think he was sorry at all. But he'd get to that later. He was honestly more worried about the _bat_ that Yamamoto was aiming at his father. Colonnello seemed to have noticed this too. He slammed a hand down on Yamamoto's head.

"Kora, and just _where_ did you get that?" He asked, irritation not hidden in the slightest. Yamamoto laughed, and Tsuna wanted to facepalm.

"That Reborn guy told me I could find it in the crate over there!" He said enthusiastically, pointing to a crate near the planes, one of which happened to be open, lid leaning against it invitingly. "It's really cool, watch!"

Yamamoto swung the bat, faster than Tsuna had ever seen him. The _whoosh_ turned into a _shing_ halfway through the swing, and lo and behold, there was a freaking _sword_ in Yamamoto's hand. Tsuna squeaked. Others gasped. Colonnello's eye twitched. Yamamoto laughed.

"Cool, right?! Where'd that guy go anyway?" Tsuna blinked, perplexed.

"He's right there." He said, pointing to the soldier not far from Colonnello, a chameleon settled happily on his shoulder. He'd been keeping an eye on the 'safe adults' since they'd gotten to the hangar. Reborn had disappeared almost immediately, and come back in a soldier's uniform. Tsuna wondered briefly if it was even his. Lal kept on moving around, checking on things, keeping kids out of trouble, and yelling at Iemitsu for being disorganised. Yamamoto looked at the soldier quizzically, and then back at Tsuna.

"That's just a soldier, Tsuna." He said. Tsuna blinked. He looked at Reborn. He was smirking, and hey wow, _that was terrifying_. He quickly looked at Colonnello, who was looking at him like he'd just done something amazing. Even Lal looked mildly impressed. Tsuna blinked again. What the hell was going on? Someone called out, and everyone's attention was taken away. Colonnello grinned.

"The planes are almost ready. Everybody round up, kora!"

* * *

Iemitsu had buggered off to who knows where while the planes were getting sorted, and Tsuna almost collapsed in relief. He didn't know how to handle his father. He'd been tense and uncomfortable the entire time the man had been near him. He sighed. Everyone was gathering around now… Guess he better get moving too. He started forward, but stopped, feeling a tug. He turned. Chrome was clinging to his sleeve. Tsuna didn't know what to name the look he saw. Her face was almost blank, but there was far too much emotion swimming in her eyes. She started, stopped, started again. She sighed, eyes dropping to her fidgeting feet.

"I don't have anywhere to go…" She said, so quietly it took him a moment to decipher. Tsuna sagged. He hadn't even thought about that… He'd been so carried away by the thought of going home, he'd forgotten that this _was_ someone's home. Tsuna immediately wanted to cry, how could he have been so stupid? He pushed the thought away quickly. It wouldn't help Chrome. Instead, he pushed his brain into overdrive. There were two young kids, Chrome, and Gokudera. Although Gokudera _had_ mentioned calling his sister… maybe she was elsewhere? He nodded. He knew his mother wouldn't mind. Like, at all. She'd probably be overjoyed at having more people in the house, actually. Tsuna smiled at Chrome, a little heartbroken.

"You can stay with us as long as you want." He said softly. Relief shone on her face, tears welling in her eyes, and she sagged, wobbling dangerously. He caught her when she fell into him, rubbing her back and arms soothingly while she cried. He'd take the kids too. He was already getting used to looking after them, and they both clung to him like a second skin _anyway_. Yeah, he'd take them too. Tsuna looked at Gokudera.

"I…" He hesitated, briefly, and the look on his face was pained. "I can't say I have nowhere to go… but it's nowhere I _want_ to go." And honestly, that was enough for Tsuna. They'd already been through enough.

"Why don't you come with us for the time being, then? You can sort everything out later." He said, leaving the offer open enough for the other teen to avoid. Gokudera's eyes were wide, and Tsuna was fairly sure they were pretty wet too. He'd ignore that though. He smiled, soft and inviting. Gokudera melted, just a little.

"Okay…" He croaked. He nodded his head, cleared his throat. "Okay." He said again, a little stronger this time. Tsuna smiled a little brighter. Gokudera gave him a wobbly smile of his own.

"Lambo stop!" Tsuna immediately wanted to groan. He quickly looked towards where he'd heard Fuuta's voice… and immediately wanted to puke. Lambo was standing on top of another open crate, and there were _grenades in his hands_. Tsuna's entire body tensed incrementally. He felt something snap inside his chest, probably panic.

"Lambo, _put those down_." He didn't recognise the calm, strong voice that spoke, certainly not as his own, but Lambo dropped the grenades in shock, so he supposed it didn't matter. Chrome released herself from his hold, and he sent her a quick grateful smile before bolting towards the kids. Lambo jolted into action again, grinning wildly.

"Gyahahaha! Tsuna can't catch Lambo-sama!" He screeched joyfully, jumping off the crate and bolting.

"Lambo stop!" Tsuna called, high-pitched and panicked, but this time the child didn't listen. He simply laughed and dodged Tsuna's attempt at grabbing him. Tsuna huffed, and kept chasing him.

He was only vaguely aware of the soldiers yelling at him as he ran, but he heard Colonnello's voice among the mix. It wasn't like he could stop though. Not with Lambo running all over the place, jumping all over crates with god-knows-what inside them. Ice squeezed Tsuna's chest and a quick burst of speed had Lambo shrieking and using some poor soldier's face as a spring-board. Tsuna winced in sympathy but didn't stop to help her. Lambo jumped on another pile of crates, too close to the wall on both sides to go anywhere. Tsuna had him cornered!

Lambo turned on him, grin wide and gleeful. At least one of them was having fun… The child got ready, and pounced. The motion seemed slow, for a moment, and Tsuna could almost _see_ the arc that it would make through the air. He whipped his hand out, spinning quickly, and caught something solid. He grinned. And tripped. He barely had time to squeak as his leg gave under the awkward angle, and fell face first into the ground. He peeled his face off the concrete to raucous laughter.

"What was that Sawada!" Mochida called, dissolving back into laughter immediately after.

"Shut up!" He tried for sour, but it was more of a whine. Yamamoto jogged over to him.

"You alright Tsuna?" He chuckled. Tsuna huffed, taking the hand extended to him.

"Fine." He grumbled, keeping a tight hold of the child laughing and squirming in his arm. Yamamoto didn't drop his hand, even as he started walking back towards their group. Tsuna felt his cheeks heating, but couldn't bring himself to let go.

"Alright, kora!" Colonnello called, gaining everyone's attention. "Everybody heading to Namimori gather here!" Tsuna trotted to keep up with Yamamoto's long strides. Damn, he was getting even taller… Tsuna pouted, but quickly shook the thought off as he re-joined the group. Chrome had Fuuta beside her, and he gave her another grateful smile. Seems she had read his mind. He gave a gentle smile to Fuuta too, who was pouting angrily at Lambo.

"Thank you for trying to stop him." He said sweetly. Fuuta ducked his head shyly, a tiny smile curling his lips. He nodded.

Tsuna was quickly overtaken by the swarm of Nami students, chattering and bubbling with excitement. They were going home. It almost seemed too good to be true. They were going home! The kids eagerly started shuffling towards the plane, Colonnello chuckling and trying to ease them up a little. He gave Tsuna a bright, fond smile, and Tsuna melted. Just a little… His peace didn't last though. Again. His father had come up alongside the group, right next to Gokudera. Tsuna deposited the squirming Lambo into Yamamoto's waiting arms. Why he was waiting for that, Tsuna would ponder about later. He was probably psychic too… He headed over.

"Where do you think you're going?" Iemitsu said. Tsuna wanted to say his voice was light, but he couldn't help but tense slightly. His father didn't look pleased, at all. Still, he frowned.

"He's coming with us." Tsuna said. He'd thought that was pretty obvious. His father smiled, and Tsuna's stomach _dropped_. He didn't know why he moved, but he was in front of Gokudera in a second, shoving back into him. His father looked surprised, but the look dropped quickly and _that smile_ was back again. Tsuna wanted to scream. His breath hitched, coming back in dangerously quick puffs. He was fairly sure Gokudera was trying to tug him out of the way, but Tsuna was like a brick wall in front of him.

Then Colonnello was there. He took up the space in Tsuna's vision easily. Tsuna looked up at him desperately.

"Easy, kora. You're safe here." He said quietly, hands carefully placed on Tsuna's shoulders. Tsuna blinked, entranced by the blue tendrils that seemed to seep into his shoulders. He felt himself slowly relaxing, the tension bleeding out of him. He trembled lightly.

"It's okay…" Colonnello said, soothing. Tsuna nodded, even as Colonnello turned and said something over his shoulder. Italian. Tsuna heard his father reply, deceptively calm. He felt Gokudera tense behind him, felt his own shoulders start to hunch again. Colonnello gently massaged them. Tsuna couldn't quite make out the look on his face, but he could tell it wasn't good. Colonnello nodded off to the side, and Iemitsu moved away. He turned back to Tsuna, a soft smile on his face.

"I'm gonna be back in a minute, just gotta have a quick chat to your old man about the flight." He said. _Lie_. Tsuna shook the thought off. That was weird. Besides, Colonnello wouldn't lie to him. Would he…? Tsuna frowned at his retreating figure. A hand came down on his head, not necessarily soft. Lal smirked down at him. Tsuna smiled sheepishly. The feeling wasn't as pronounced as it was with Colonnello, but he still felt calmed by her presence. Everything was going to be fine. Even if Colonnello's smile looked like a dagger…

"Let's go." Lal said, slapping Gokudera's back in emphasis. Tsuna flushed, taking a few quick steps forward so he wasn't flush against the other boy's chest. He smiled sheepishly. Gokudera smiled back, but it felt off. Lal raised a brow and Tsuna nodded, tugging Gokudera along behind him as they moved toward the plane. He had a feeling this was going to be a long flight.

As it turns out, it was _not_ a long flight. Almost everybody fell asleep, exhausted from their excitement. Lambo had taken up the space on Tsuna's chest, so he couldn't really move much after that. Fuuta shuffled up beside him, looking like he wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to. Tsuna sighed, and let him up too. So he had two children sleeping on him. He found himself not really minding though… The warm weight was a reminder. He was alive, he was safe, he wasn't alone. He drifted off, and before he knew it, he was waking up to announcements that they were landing. The excitement was palpable in the air. A wild buzz of anticipation and nervousness. They were almost there. _So close_. Tsuna was practically vibrating.

It was a blur from the plane into the airport itself. Tsuna couldn't think straight. It was like he was on auto-pilot. His hands were shaking. Then he saw her. His mother looked worried, for once, Tsuyoshi a strong presence beside her. Tsuna heaved a breath, tears stinging his eyes. He ran. He heard steps beside him, all around him. Voices calling out for children and parents alike. Only one reached Tsuna's ears.

"Tsu-kun!" She sounded so relieved. She practically tripped forwards, stumbling to reach him faster. She reached out… he slammed into her like a ton of bricks. He felt a bit guilty, really he did, but in that moment it didn't matter. They both dropped to the floor, squeezing tighter than Tsuna could ever remember. He could feel his mother shaking around him. Ah… He choked on a sob. This was it. This was what he had been fighting for. Tsuna cried freely. For the first time in days, everything was finally okay. Here, crying in his mother's arms. He was safe. He was _home_.

* * *

 **AN:** Not much drama in this chap, except Iemitsu being a dick about Gokudera going to Namimori. Once again, I want to thank everybody for their wonderful reviews, I'm really glad you're all enjoying this so far!

Also, somebody asked where Reborn was in the previous chapter, because I forgot to explain what happened to him. Basically, since he's an outsider and super-duper dangerous, the military whipped up a separate little isolation chamber to keep him away from everyone else. I added a tiny bit about it in the previous chapter too, so hopefully that helps.

Edit: FF keeps deleting all my underlining :/

And finally, here's a small Omake. Mild spoilers for future events, but no real context. (Allusions to XS)

 _ **Omake:**_ _First Meeting: Squalo_

The first time Squalo met Tsuna, he took his breath away. _Literally_. An elbow to the solar plexus will do that to you. The shark had come in swinging and Tsuna had dodged, parried, immediately tried to halt Squalo's movement, and then elbowed him straight in the chest. It was a testament to the rain's skill that he managed to back off enough that the kid didn't knock him out with the blow. And that was only because he managed to catch the movement and pull back before he was trapped.

His first thought was that Iemitsu should be _shot_ for misinformation. And neutered. Preferably by Xanxus and himself. His second thought was that the kid was bipolar, because he was currently shrieking (in an impressively high pitch) apologies for hurting him, whilst berating him for attacking civilians at the same time. Which, yeah, okay, Squalo's bad. He wasn't supposed to hurt civilians if he could help it, but he was getting desperate. Xanxus was in a horrible mood, which put Squalo in a horrible mood, which meant neither of them were getting laid any time soon, which put them both in a considerably _worse_ mood. So yeah, Squalo was having a bad day.

He eyed the teen in front of him. He was supposed to be a civilian. Determined brown eyes met silver, dropping into a defensive stance. He _wasn't_.


	5. Target 5 - Situational Awareness

**WARNINGS:** This chap is pretty angsty, mentions of death, flashbacks, nightmares, PTSD (not sure if it's accurate)

 **Target 5 – Situational Awareness**

Tsuna wasn't sure how long he stayed in his mother's arms. He wasn't paying attention to any of the goings-on around them. There was movement everywhere, but he couldn't care less. He was finally home. Lambo had shoved himself into Tsuna's lap at some point, and was currently basking in the warmth. Tsuna couldn't say he minded. His mother hadn't honestly seemed to notice. Tsuna didn't mind that either. She was still crying in his hair, shaking lightly. He clutched her tighter.

Eventually, when his mother had stopped shaking, when he could finally breath, when things were somewhat quieter, Tsuna made himself pull away. He'd never seen his mother smile so brightly… He smiled too, warm and happy. Fuuta was by his side, clinging absently to his sleeve. Chrome and Gokudera were hovering further back towards the gates. Yamamoto was nearby, not quite pressed into his father's chest. He was watching Tsuna with a fond smile. Tsuna gave him a sheepish smile back. Tsuyoshi stepped forward slightly, a hand still firmly connecting him to his son.

"Who do we have to thank for bringing our kids home?" He asked. Colonnello smiled.

"We all played a part, kora." He said mildly. Lal scoffed.

"He's the one who dragged them through half a city under fire, you want to blubber on someone make it him." She said, jabbing a thumb in his direction. Colonnello laughed. She spun quickly and went back to the planes, yelling at people for slacking off. Tsuna smiled, looked like she wasn't good with attention… He stood up slowly, letting the adults talk. Though he pouted inwardly that he couldn't introduce Colonnello to his mother personally…

The kids regathered slowly, as all their parents filtered forward to thank the one who saved their children. Colonnello seemed a little flustered now. Probably not used to all the attention. Tsuna smiled. Lambo hung off his arm, trying to get his attention for something, and Fuuta pressed into his legs. He looked… _overwhelmed_. Tsuna ran a, hopefully comforting, hand through the boy's hair. Fuuta flashed him a small smile, but quickly went back to observing his surroundings. His mother gave them an inquisitive look, but didn't actually say anything. Tsuna supposed he should be grateful. How was he going to explain them? Hey mum, I know I just got back from a life-threatening experience, but here, I adopted two kids while I was out! And that _wasn't_ mentioning Gokudera or Chrome… He shook his head, and looked back to Colonnello. Their own personal soldier. Their _saviour_.

As the parents stopped coming, and it seemed like the thanks were coming to a close, Tsuna made his way over. Colonnello was still chatting with a few people. Tsuyoshi, Kyoko's parents, and another he didn't recognize. The others drifted off as Tsuna came closer, Lambo tucked into his elbow to stop him from running off, and Fuuta still pressed into his leg. Colonnello grinned at him. A knot twisted in his stomach. Tsuna clenched and unclenched his hands, hesitant. Should he say anything? They hadn't really known each other for that long, but… Tsuna didn't want him to go. Something tugged in his gut, pulling him closer. He let his eyes drift up.

"Will I… You, umm… Will we ever see you again…?" He asked nervously. Colonnello blinked, seemingly astonished. Maybe the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Maybe they really _were_ just a job to him… Tsuna shuffled nervously, eyes darting off to the side.

"You don't have to…" He said, so quietly, but Colonnello laughed.

"Obviously, kora." He said. Like it was the stupidest question he'd ever heard. Tsuna flushed, a smile creeping its way onto his features. Good. He nodded. _Good_. Tsuna listened as Colonnello went off on a rant, talking about future visits, working around his job. He threaded his fingers through Tsuna's hair. Tsuna smiled. Colonnello pulled him further off to the side, and raised a slip of paper between two fingers. Tsuna reached for it.

"I want you to call me, if you need me." Colonnello said. Tsuna brought the paper close, unfolded it carefully. Colonnello's handwriting was _appalling_. He giggled. "I've got a lot of spare phones, so uh... You can message me too, tell me how everyone's going. I'll tell you when you can't. When I'm not available and stuff." He shrugged. Tsuna nodded eagerly.

"Thank you." He said. "For everything." He wasn't sure he'd said it yet. Colonnello had risked a lot for them. A rag-tag group of kids just trying to survive. Colonnello squeezed his arm. Grinned. Then he was moving again, back towards the planes that would take him far away. Tsuna clutched the paper to his chest.

"Ah, Tsu-kun, there you are!" His mother exclaimed, trotting over to him. He whirled around to face her.

"Sorry," He said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to worry you." She waved him off, and towed him back to where his father was waiting. Tsuna withheld a grimace. He could do this. Everything would be fine. Iemitsu would be gone soon enough. Hopefully…

"Umm, Mum, before we go anywhere, I need to ask… Is it okay if they stay with us?" He asked, gesturing vaguely to the kids, Gokudera, and Chrome. His mother beamed, putting a hand to her cheek.

"Of course!" She said happily. Tsuna smiled, shaking his head a bit. Of course. He didn't know why he bothered asking… They reached his father soon enough, and Tsuna surreptitiously waved Chrome and Gokudera over from where they were hovering near the Yamamoto's. He tried to turn back, to spot Colonnello, but his father took his attention up quickly.

"Alright! Let's get you home!" He said, laughing loudly and clapping him on the back. Tsuna kind of wanted to elbow him again… Gokudera and Chrome quickly caught up, seemingly despite Iemitsu's best efforts to hurry them along (Tsuna _was_ dawdling, not that he'd tell his father that), and they finally reached the parking lot.

Tsuna froze. The large facility towered over him, cars jammed into every space available. A loud roar, metal screeching. His eyes darted between the people milling about, mind twisting their appearance to something more sinister. Thudding footsteps echoed in his ears.

"Tsu-kun?" His mother's worried voice snapped him out of his trance.

"I'm fine." He said, a bit too quickly. She looked worried… What was he supposed to say?

"Why don't I bring the car around?" Iemitsu said jovially. Tsuna blinked. His father was gone. Not like it mattered. Tsuna didn't know if he could go in there… Gokudera brushed against him. Tsuna looked at him, but he was looking studiously away. He smiled.

"Thanks…" He whispered. Gokudera's cheeks coloured slightly, and he nodded.

Every second they stood there chafed at Tsuna's nerves, even with Gokudera's solid presence next to him, and Chrome's hand brushing his. It felt like he might actually explode. The car that pulled up in front of them was black and sleek. Definitely not something they could afford. Or was it? Tsuna had never actually asked his mother about financials. They'd never seemed to have issues before… Still, this was a little much. He didn't have time to think about it though, before Iemitsu was ushering them inside. Tsuna made sure Chrome and Gokudera were in before him, just in case.

Once they were settled and on the road, Tsuna allowed himself a breath. A brief moment of giddy excitement. _He was almost home_. Tsuna opened his mouth. Hesitated. Closed it again. His excitement crashed down into a pit of nerves. Tsuna had promised Fuuta a new book when they were safe, but… His gaze slid towards his father, radiating an aggressive sort of cheerfulness, and then to Gokudera, stiff shoulders and tense lines. He didn't feel all that safe yet… His eyes slid to his mother then, humming cheerfully in the passenger seat, then to Lambo and Fuuta. Lambo was restless in Chrome's lap, not quite enough room in the car for them all to have separate seats and Fuuta was still and quiet in his own lap. Tsuna wasn't sure what that meant. Was he nervous? Was he tired? His eyes fell back to his mother.

"Ah, we should stop by the mall on the way home!" She said brightly.

"Eh?" Tsuna couldn't help the surprised sound. Had she read his mind?! She giggled at him, giving him a look over her shoulder.

"You'll need a new phone, won't you? Colonnello-san said that all your belongings were taken away. Oh! Let's see if we can find you a new hoodie, too! That was your favourite, right?" She continued to chatter mindlessly as they went on, but Tsuna mellowed. That _had_ been his favourite hoodie, hadn't it? Now it was nothing but a pile of ash in a haphazard military containment unit. He didn't know why the thought unsettled him so much… It was just a bit of clothing. His favourite hoodie… Tsuna trembled.

The rest of the car ride consisted mostly of his mother's chatting and Lambo's restlessness. Iemitsu would pipe up occasionally, but only when prompted. Everyone else was silent. When they finally reached the mall, it wasn't much different. His mother flitted about from shop to shop, grabbing anything that caught her eye, or that of one of the kids. She still hadn't questioned their arrival, nor why Gokudera and Chrome were following Tsuna around like lost puppies. It was a relief.

Chrome was clinging to his sleeve again. Gokudera was tense behind them. Tsuna knew why. Iemitsu kept on shooting him looks. He glared balefully at the man. Why was he acting like this? They'd been through enough already. Tsuna just wanted to go home and sleep for a week. He doubted he'd be sleeping at all while his father was around… He'd have to keep an eye on Gokudera. They'd probably have to share Tsuna's room anyway… If he kept him close, he wouldn't have to worry about his father, right?

"Ah, new phone, right?" Iemitsu said, veering towards a mobile store.

"Ah, yeah…" Tsuna mumbled, clenching the paper in his pocket. "It's not that important though, I don't want to spend too much…" His mother had already bought a ton of things for the kids, Chrome, and Gokudera (who both looked rightfully confused), a new phone on top of that would be overkill, wouldn't it? Honestly, he didn't think he'd seen his mother shop this much in his entire life!

"Don't worry! Your papa just got promoted! To… Senior Traffic Control!" He laughed boisterously. _Lie_. Tsuna blinked at the thought. Gokudera made a weird noise, which was cut off sharply at Iemitsu's look. Tsuna jerked into Gokudera's side, pressing close. Why did his father feel so _dangerous_? Iemitsu's smile thinned into a narrow line, his eyes hard. The look only lasted for a second. It morphed into a grin with too many teeth and no sincerity. Tsuna kind of wanted to scream.

When they finally arrived home, Tsuna wanted to collapse. Saying he was exhausted was an understatement. He couldn't even fully appreciate that he was finally at home. In his house. With his living room, and his bedroom, and his soft bed… He wanted nothing more than to curl up under the blankets and sleep for eternity. No doubt his mother would let him, with only minimal prodding. He shook the thought off.

The rest of the afternoon was spent laying futons, and cleaning out the spare rooms that Tsuna had honestly almost forgotten they had. All the while, Iemitsu heavily suggested that maybe there were too many people in the house. They should probably ask someone else to take one of the kids. Either his mother was pointedly ignoring everything the man said on the subject, or she was more oblivious than anyone had ever given her credit for. Tsuna silently hoped for the first option…

Finally, everything was set up and night had fallen. Tsuna splayed out on his bed, Gokudera nearby on a futon. He stared, for long moments, at his ceiling. He'd added Colonnello's number to his phone and sent him a quick message. Apparently, Lal had been yelling at him for something, so he couldn't talk. It made him smile, briefly, before getting dragged into the rearrangement of the house.

Tsuna tilted his head, just slightly, so that he could take in his belongings. The desk under his window, the shelf full of manga and anime, the cupboard bursting with clothes, old and new, the stuffed toy sitting stubbornly in the corner. He took everything in, the tension slowly bleeding out of him. If Gokudera heard his quiet sniffles, he didn't comment.

* * *

A day later, all the survivors and their parents were back in a group. A seemingly nice, but very professional lady named Oregano was giving them a run down of 'what next?'.

"You'll be given two months off school. Mandatory counselling, fully paid for by the Italian government. Reparations for damages." She explained at Tsuna's confused look. "Once you're back at school, you'll be in a separate class until you've caught up with your studies, then you'll be merged in with the others. Ultimately, we're hoping that you'll be able to go back to living your lives as normally as you can. I'm sure it won't be easy, but you'll get back into the swing of things." She gave a kind smile then, aimed far too much at Tsuna. Honestly, half of these people were focusing far too much on him, and _nobody else_. It was unsettling. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was Iemitsu's fault… A man stood.

"Isn't it for us to decide whether our children skip school or not? Or receive counselling?" He said gruffly. Mochida was stiff beside him. His father…? Oregano gave the man a smile that sat heavy in Tsuna's stomach. Why did all of these people know how to smile so poisonously?

"Of course, it is up to the parents, and their children, to decide whether these actions are necessary. However, I would remind you that your children have been through quite the ordeal, and these actions are _heavily_ recommended." Her voice was light, helpful. Everyone in the room tensed. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an _order_. Mochida senior did _not_ look pleased. Oregano glided through the rest of the meeting, dominating and receiving no further complaints.

* * *

Life went on. Life went on, and Tsuna had no idea what he was doing. He spent the first few days of his break playing buffer between Iemitsu and Gokudera. He felt like a pinball… Not that any of it was Gokudera's fault, of course. Iemitsu was just being an ass, for reasons Tsuna couldn't understand. Colonnello had been hesitant at first, too, hadn't he…? He came around though, and that was all that Tsuna needed. Gokudera had helped him. _Was_ helping him. That's all he needed…

Iemitsu was going to have to go.

His phoned pinged. Tsuna looked down at the spew of Italian on the screen. Had Colonnello forgotten he couldn't speak the language? All he could think to send back, was a very undignified ' _what?'_. Oh well, not like he had any dignity left at this stage, anyway.

[Colonnello] _Sorry, meant to send that to Lal_.

[Colonnello] _Can you delete that please?_

 _Sure._ What else was he going to do with it? Maybe it was confidential? Italian, huh… Tsuna filed the thought away for later.

Gokudera got a part-time job a week later. Iemitsu was miraculously gone, and Gokudera said he wanted to support Nana until he could afford a place of his own. Nana had been equal parts happy and annoyed. She liked taking care of people, it seemed, but she also thought it was very mature of him to be "thinking ahead". Tsuna was fairly sure she thought he wasn't planning on moving out until after high school at the earliest, maybe even after University. It wouldn't surprise him at all…

She still took ridiculously good care of them all. Honestly, she seemed happier than ever. Her husband was alive and well, her son had survived a deadly exchange trip, and she had basically just adopted four children. All in a day's work, right? Tsuna shook his head. His mother was _amazing_.

* * *

[Colonnello] _How are you holding up?_

Tsuna stared at the innocent question with dread. How was he holding up? He thought about that for a moment. Thought about the dark bags under his eyes. About the way he jumped at every loud noise, or shout, or scream. Thought about how he'd almost had a panic attack in the school bathroom, because it smelled like copper and sewerage.

He thought about the nightmares… the one he'd had about going into the kitchen, only to have his mother turn around and attack him, a vicious snarl on her lips. The countless ones of familiar bodies lying on the floor, torn apart in a pool of their own blood, just like a certain soldier. In his room, in the living room, at school. He'd had dreams of that soldier too… asking him why… Why did he leave him there? Why did he take his things? Why hadn't he taken the picture back to _her_? Tsuna didn't even know who she was… He shuddered violently. The typing line blinked innocently on his screen. _How was he_ …?

 _I'm fine_. He typed. Erased it. _Just some trouble sleeping._ Erased again. _I've been having nightmares_. Erased. Blink. Blink. Blink.

 _Do you ever have nightmares?_ He hit send before he could think. Regretted it immediately. He waited with baited breath for the reply. Almost jumped out of his skin when his phone pinged.

[Colonnello] _All the damn time._

The air punched out of Tsuna's lungs. His eyes burned. _All the damn time_. In the quiet of his room, where no one could see him, Tsuna finally allowed himself to cry.

* * *

Tsuna watched the clock tick lazily on the wall. He could hardly concentrate these days. It felt like he was a livewire. Everything was just this side of _too much_. Too much noise, too much movement, too much _information_. He'd thought school was bad before, now it was driving him insane. Tsuna wasn't sure why, but he was noticing so much _more_ than he had before. Clocks ticking, pencils tapping, clothes shuffling, people sniffling, shifting, _breathing_. He could even trace the fly buzzing around the room perfectly. He could _never_ spot flies before…

His eyes traced the way people moved. The little jerks between movements. The way muscles moved and twitched under skin. He noticed the slight tense before someone started to run. The little jerk of hesitation someone gave before deciding to hold a hand. He noticed Yamamoto's restless hands in class, clenching around a blade that wasn't there. Minami flinching and twitching at every sound. Danagan's cool eyes taking in the room, looking for an invisible danger. He saw Gokudera's fingers twitch for cigarettes Tsuna had all but banned, scratching against his pants instead.

Tsuna watched the clock tick lazily on the wall. He hoped the day ended soon. It was only ten o'clock.

* * *

[Colonnello] _Won't be able to talk for a bit._

 _Yes,_ _ **sir**_ _._ Sent with a winking emoji.

[Colonnello] _Brat._

* * *

 _Paranoia is a common side effect of PTSD._ His therapist's words echoed in his head. They made him mad, but he wasn't sure why. Paranoia… Was he really paranoid? He didn't feel paranoid. He didn't feel like everyone was out to get him, despite what his nightmares might say. He didn't believe every twitch or sniffle or goddamn fly on the wall was an enraged, even though he jumped out of his skin when someone got too loud, or screamed, or yelled. He felt… He didn't really know _what_ he felt, and that was the problem. He felt like he knew what was happening around him at any given moment. Sometimes, he even felt like he knew what someone was going to do before they did it. It was driving him nuts. He didn't feel like "paranoid" quite covered that.

"Hyper-awareness." Gokudera said, as Tsuna angrily chewed through his lunch after a miniature rant. Tsuna blinked. That… sounded like a good way to boil it down.

"Hyper-awareness…" Tsuna repeated slowly. It sounded _almost_ right. It was good enough for now. He sighed.

"Now I have a name for it, what do I do about it…" He said miserably.

"Train it." Gokudera said simply. Tsuna blinked… Train it…? _Could_ he train it? That didn't seem like something he could train… maybe he could learn how to turn it off? Or at least tone it down.

"Huh…" Train it. Okay then. This was gonna _suck_.

Tsuna sat on the couch, Gokudera standing beside him.

"Focus on the TV. Try not to let anything distract you. It's not gonna be easy, obviously, but there's not too much ambient noise here, so it's a good start." Gokudera said. Tsuna smiled. He sounded like a proper teacher. He wondered if maybe he could be one when they were older. Then again, he didn't have much patience for Lambo… He shook his head, focussing his attention on the TV. An anime was on again. Just cute and fun, early morning kid stuff.

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

Tsuna breathed out an annoyed sigh.

"What is it?" Tsuna almost flinched at the question, but it didn't sound angry or annoyed, just… curious.

"The tap in the kitchen is dripping." Tsuna told him honestly. Gokudera started, looking over at the kitchen. His eyebrows shot up.

"How can you hear that? I didn't even notice!" He sounded honestly impressed. Tsuna flushed a bit. "That's pretty cool." Gokudera said. Tsuna pursed his lips.

"It's not so cool when you can hear the birds chirping, and the crickets humming, the footsteps upstairs, every rustle of fabric when you move, and Lambo snoring all at once." He said, frustration leaking into his tone as he listed the sounds he could hear. Gokudera's eyes only widened even more.

"Shit…" he said, sounding a little awe-struck now. "I can't hear any of that."

Tsuna let out a frustrated noise. How could he _not_ hear any of it? It was _all there_. He tugged on his hair. Gokudera grimaced, sitting down next to him. He hesitated briefly, then put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. It looked awkward as hell. Tsuna huffed out a laugh. He thinks, in the privacy of his own mind, that he wouldn't mind if Gokudera stayed permanently.

* * *

[Colonnello] _Back again!_

 _It's 2am_

[Colonnello] _Love you too, brat._

Tsuna wasn't going to dignify that with a response. He shoved his phone roughly in the direction of his desk. _Thud_.

" _Ow_."

"Sorry."

"Fuck off…" When had Gokudera gotten so close to his bed anyway? He started on the other side of his room... Oh well, questions for a reasonable hour. Tsuna let his eyes slide back shut. His phone hit him in the side.

"Ow…"

* * *

Another day, another dance. Tsuna blew out a sigh as the argument beside him continued. Satori had said something rude to him, Tsuna couldn't even be bothered to remember what, and Gokudera had jumped down his throat for it. He'd been rather protective, lately. Ever since they'd finally merged with the other class. They were all together, strangely, but Tsuna appreciated the comfort immensely. He glanced over idly, watching Satori go red in the face.

Hands slammed down on the table.

Tsuna didn't even register himself moving. There was a pencil in his hand, right in front of Satori's eye. Everything froze. One beat. Two. Yamamoto had Satori by the neck, the only thing preventing him from being impaled. Tsuna trembled. Yamamoto leaned against Satori's back.

"Why don't you go sit down." He said, the threat clear in his voice. Satori edged away, wobbling and falling back into his seat. Tsuna let the pencil clatter onto the table below him. Gokudera gently gripped his elbow, guiding him back into his chair. Tsuna shook uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry…" He said, barely a whisper. Yamamoto shushed him, smiling soothingly. He dropped to his knees in front of him, practically in Tsuna's lap. He cupped his face gently.

"You didn't do anything wrong." He crooned, soft and sweet. Tsuna's stomach flopped a bit. He'd almost _stabbed someone in the eye_. Tsuna's vision wobbled dangerously. He thought he might puke…

The door slid open and their teacher walked in.

"What's going on in here?" She said suspiciously, narrowed eyes taking in the room. Satori raised a shaking hand towards Tsuna. Yamamoto smiled. There was no mistaking the sharpness of his eyes. Satori flinched, yanked his hand back. He cradled it against his chest like he'd been burned. He may as well have been, for the looks he was getting. It wasn't even just Yamamoto and Gokudera, either. It was all of them, their tiny group of survivors… A tiny group of blazing anger, all trained on the same target. Satori didn't stand a chance.

* * *

Tsuna stared up at his roof quietly. Another moment of indecision was all it took for him to whip out his phone and pull up a message screen.

 _I almost attacked somebody today_. Tsuna hit send without blinking. He hoped Colonnello wasn't busy. He hoped it was a reasonable hour. He hoped he didn't scare the ever-loving shit out of him with that random message. Oops… _Ping_.

[Colonnello] _What happened?_

Tsuna stared at the words for a long moment. _He was being a dick._ Tsuna's first thought. That wasn't fair though, he shouldn't blame the victim.

 _He started a fight with Gokudera. It wasn't even that bad, really. But he started getting loud, then he slammed his hands on the table, and I just –_ Tsuna paused to blink tears out of his eyes. He _reacted_. Just like he had out there… – _I overreacted._ He finished lamely.

[Colonnello] _I hope you gave him a black eye._

Tsuna couldn't help the burst of laughter that sputtered past his lips. Of course. Colonnello was impulsive. He'd definitely be the kind of guy to hit first, and ask for apologies later… Tsuna laughed lightly. Then grimaced.

 _I almost stabbed him in the eye with a pencil, so I don't think you should be egging me on._

[Colonnello] _Eh. I still would've punched him._

Tsuna snorted.

 _You are an_ _ **astoundingly**_ _good influence._ Wry, sarcastic.

[Colonnello] _Damn right I am._

Complete with a winking emoji. Tsuna shook his head. His grin was so wide it almost hurt.

* * *

School was generally a quiet affair now. Nobody really bothered Tsuna anymore. The whole incident in Italy had most people's sympathy, and after the incident with Satori most were too afraid to approach him. Pencil's were rather terrifying apparently…

"This is such bullshit." Misaki spat suddenly. He'd been sitting on his desk since the lunch period began, glaring over at him like he was getting paid for it. Tsuna shuffled nervously. He really didn't want a repeat of last time… Misaki clicked his tongue.

"I don't get it. It doesn't make sense. You're so fucking pathetic. Out of everybody else, it just so happened to be _you_? I don't think so." He shook his head, kicking his chair out of the way to stand up. Mochida twitched. "How is it that somebody like _Dame-Tsuna_ made it out of there alive, and so many others didn't." Misaki spat, venomous. Tsuna's stomach dropped. Honestly? He had no idea… Mochida stood and _slammed_ Misaki into the wall in one swift movement, holding him high and tight.

" _Don't_. You _**dare**_." He snarled. Misaki sputtered, confusion creasing his brows.

"Mochida? You – defending _Dame-Tsuna_ –"

"Shut the fuck up!" Mochida roared, everybody in the room flinched. Misaki looked terrified. "You don't get to decide who lives and who dies! You don't get to sit here and suck your thumb while we _suffered_ , sit on the sidelines and _judge us_ after what we've been through. Don't you fucking _dare_ act like he doesn't have as much right to be here as any of us! Don't you _fucking_ dare!" Mochida was shaking him by that point, slamming him against the wall to emphasize his words. Misaki was pale and sweating.

"Mochida…" Tsuna tried. Getting violent wasn't going to help the situation. Mochida shook his head.

"We fought tooth and nail to survive that hell. We _saw_ some of them die. _We_ survived, and _nobody_ gets to judge us for that. Not after –" His voice broke. "Not after that." A weak rasp. Tsuna's blood ran cold beneath his skin… images assaulted him.

 _Screaming. Running. Confusion. Smoke. Screaming. Fear. Tsuna ran down street after street, desperate for a familiar face. He found one. Someone from the baseball team, he was fairly sure. He looked so relieved when he saw Tsuna. So relieved. Hands reached, from the alley behind him. Angry, vicious, blood-curdling. Teeth sank into his shoulder._ _ **Fear**_ _. Tsuna stumbled a few steps forward._

" _Help." He begged. "Please help me!" He reached. Reached for Tsuna. A body slammed into Tsuna's side._

" _Leave him!" Mochida screamed in his ear. Hands tearing at his clothes, trying to shove him away._

" _Mochida?" Stilted, confused. So,_ _ **so**_ _afraid. Mochida's face was drawn and pale._

" _He's already dead." He choked, guilt, shame,_ _ **fear**_ _. "Move!" He all but dragged Tsuna down the street, ignoring the screams for help that gurgled into nothing. Tsuna was crying. Sobbing and snotty and afraid. Mochida was too. They ran into another street. Mochida shoved Tsuna hard. He stumbled out of the way just in time for an enraged man to go tumbling past them, only to turn back, snarling and vicious and dangerous._

" _Run!" Mochida roared, even as he started the other way down the street, the noise tearing the enraged's attention towards him instead of Tsuna. Their eyes met as they ran._ _ **One of us**_ _. Mochida's eyes said._ _ **One of us has to survive**_ _._

Hands running down his back dragged him back to the present. Sitting hunched on the floor, breathing ragged with somebody whispering soothing comfort in his ear. Tears streamed down his face. Head between his knees to try to steady his breathing. He managed to look up. Mochida was across from him, slumped against the opposite wall. Tears were streaming down his face, too. The look in his eyes was sheer _hurt_. They were thinking about the exact same thing. Tsuna had never been happy to see Mochida before. Ever. Sitting across the room, huddled against a wall and looking like the world was collapsing around him, Tsuna gave him a trembling smile.

"I'm glad you survived." He choked. Nothing but the truth. Mochida cried.

Back at home, they all piled onto the couch. Tsuna, and Yamamoto, and Chrome, and Gokudera, all in a big, unceremonious puppy-pile on a two-seater couch, watching cheesy anime and dumb TV shows. It was a relief. Pressed tightly into each other like that, it was _proof_. Heat and weight, comfort and warmth. They were alive, they were safe, they were together. Tsuna shoved his back a little further into Yamamoto. He dropped his arm further over Tsuna's shoulder, avoiding Chrome's legs, and rubbed soothing circles into his stomach. Perfect.

Tsuna idly wondered why his mother hadn't bought a bigger couch. Then again, there was a single couch freely available, and they could always drag a chair in from the kitchen… She probably knew they preferred it that way… Who was he to complain if his mother was catering to their preferences?

* * *

His mother was a demon, honestly. Tsuna picked at the cake on his plate. This was the third time this month she'd kicked them out of the house. Okay, so maybe 'kicked out' was a little harsh, but still.

" _Go out and breath some fresh air! You spend too much time couped up in the house. It'll be good for you!_ "

Yeah, _right_. She'd never gotten him to go outside before! Maybe she was just excited he had friends…? The joys of youth? Is that what this was? Tsuna shook his head. His mother was strange… It's not like they went anywhere special. Just a little Italian café they favoured for no other reason than that. The cakes were nice. The tea was _awful_. Tsuna wasn't game enough to try the coffee. A radio constantly filled the cosy space with news, music, and chatter. All Italian of course. Tsuna had been learning Italian. Not because he wanted to impress anybody or anything…

He listened for a moment. Knives, forks, and spoons clinked against plates, ceramic on ceramic from teas and coffees. People passing on the street, shuffling footsteps, passing chatter. Tsuna found it was a good way to help him focus against the din. Tune out certain things and focus on others. It was certainly helping his concentration in class.

Today, he was focusing on the radio. Really, he should have known it was a bad idea… He tried to catch snippets of the songs, listen to the hosts endless chatter, and pick up on some of the news. That's when he heard it.

 _Breaking News: … small town of Anglosia… decimated… rage virus… military intervention needed… no survivors… _

Tsuna's blood ran cold. His fingers clenched so hard around the fork in his hand, his knuckles turned white. His breath stuttered in his chest.

"Tsuna?" Yamamoto's careful concern. He was eyeing someone, who was eyeing the fork in Tsuna's hand. Trembling fingers let it drop. He struggled not to pick it right back up. He pushed himself to his feet, barely able to hold his weight. He swayed dangerously.

"Oi!" Gokudera stood quickly, reaching over to stabilise him. Chrome was pale. Wide-eyed. She was staring at him. Afraid. Tsuna stumbled over to the front counter. The nice old man who ran the store was standing there, tense and listening.

"Umm…" Tsuna started. The man gave a tight grin.

"Sorry, son, didn't notice you there. What can I get you?" His Japanese was good, he'd been here for a while.

"On the radio… did I hear it right? About –" He barely got the words out of his throat. "– about the rage virus…" The man in front of him paled dramatically. He looked at Tsuna in horror. Tsuna's puffing breaths only came faster. The man shook his head slowly. Tsuna stared at him, wide-eyed and desperate. He wondered what he looked like. He felt small…

"I'm so sorry…" The man whispered, still shaking his head. "I'm so sorry." Over and over again. Tsuna felt sick. He remembered, suddenly and horribly, the message he'd received from Colonnello a few days ago. He'd been deployed and couldn't talk. Tsuna's vision tunnelled. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name. Everything went black.

Tsuna stared at the roof of the hospital between his fingers. A doctor was talking quietly to his mother off to the side. He could just make out her tight smile. _Hyperventilation_. Not dangerous long term. Still had to check up on him though, make sure the issue was settled. Tsuna breathed slowly. He was fine, really. Well… no… not really. He'd panicked as soon as he'd heard the words. A trigger…? That's what Doctor Tsubaki had called it, right? He breathed out a sigh.

"Tsu-kun," His mother called gently. "Are you ready to go home now?"

Tsuna sat up. He wasn't graceful at all… Why did that make him think of Reborn? He always seemed weirdly graceful. He moved so easily. Colonnello moved easily too. And Lal. Tsuna slid his legs over the side of the bed. Pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled. Not graceful at all…

He stayed quiet the entire way home, his mother filling in the space with gentle words. She was speaking so softly. It almost made Tsuna angry. He wasn't made of glass. Maybe he was… She was just trying to help. He shook his head. Fingers ran gently through his hair. He didn't start. He'd seen them coming out of the corner of his eye.

"Your hair's getting longer, it's almost in your eyes now." She hummed. There was something there, beneath the surface.

"Yeah, I kinda like it…" He said, tugging at a lock of his fringe. "I was thinking of leaving it like this." She smiled, bright and happy.

"It suits you!" She said eagerly, diving back into an endless conversation. Tsuna smiled, just a little.

* * *

When they got home, it was quiet. The lights were on, but Tsuna couldn't see anyone. Odd. Where was everybody? Tsuna looked around, poked his head into the living room. Nothing. He shrugged, heading upstairs. His mother said something, but it didn't register. Dinner? Must've been. He'd have to get the kids washed up…

He opened his door, ready to tell Gokudera that dinner was ready. Gokudera snarled, vicious, blood thirsty, _enraged_.

Tsuna woke up screaming. The light flicked on, and he almost jumped out of his skin. Wide eyes snapped onto Gokudera's form immediately. Gokudera winced.

"Sorry, I was trying not to startle you." He said, hands clenching and unclenching by his sides. Tsuna cringed. He'd scared him.

"I'm sorry…" He said thickly. Gokudera shook his head.

"I get it." He said. Tsuna knew he meant it, too. He supposed they should both be used to this by now… It happened often enough. To both of them. Gokudera usually tried to be quiet. Breathe through it. Tsuna woke more often that not, and always managed to figure out that the harsh breaths weren't normal. He'd flick the lamp on, let his hand dangle over the edge of the bed. Gokudera usually didn't usually take it. Their respective beds were so close now, he didn't have to. It brushed against his arm, his side, sometimes even his stomach. Tsuna wondered, idly, if that was why he kept moving closer.

Tsuna's breathing slowly evened out. Gokudera stood quietly by the door the entire time. He usually did, during Tsuna's outbursts. He looked ready. At first, Tsuna had thought he was about to fly out the door. It had hurt more than he cared to admit. As time went on, Tsuna realised that Gokudera was acting more like a guard. If anything were to burst through that door, Gokudera would be there, ready to take on the threat. It was oddly endearing. Comforting.

A quiet knock on the door made Tsuna jump.

"Tsuna-kun?" Chrome asked quietly. Tsuna sagged. He'd woken her up too… Gokudera opened the door, just enough for her to get through, then quietly shut it. He looked to Tsuna. Tsuna listened for a moment. Shuffling sheets, quiet snores. He shook his head. No one else was awake. Gokudera nodded, and slipped back onto his futon. Chrome stepped in quietly and settled on the end of Tsuna's bed. There was nothing but silence for a long moment.

Tsuna was the first to start talking. Just random babble. Progress he'd made on a video game, homework he was struggling with, an anime they'd seen on TV the other day. The other two followed on eagerly. They spent the night like that. Huddled in blankets, talking about everything and nothing. Quiet comfort amongst a storm of emotions. Tsuna let himself soak in the calm. Decisions were for mornings…

* * *

Gokudera had gone to work hours ago. Chrome was downstairs with Lambo and Fuuta. He could hear them playing. He should probably go down. Make sure she was okay. What would he say? How would he reassure her? It was happening. Had _already happened_. They couldn't do anything to stop it. But _what if it happened again_ …? He needed to protect her. He needed to protect Gokudera, and Yamamoto. Fuuta and Lambo. Kyoko, Hana, Minami, Dangan, Mochida… He didn't know what to do… He didn't know what to do. He _didn't know what to do_.

His phone pinged. Tsuna was ashamed of how fast he picked it up.

[Colonnello] _Free again._

Tsuna hit call. It didn't even ring twice before the line connected.

" _Kora, that was quick! You miss me that much?_ " Colonnello joked. Tsuna could hear the concern underneath. He took a deep, shuddering breath. In, out, in, out. _Breathe_.

"I heard something on the radio…" God, he hated the way his voice cracked. He couldn't stop the tears sliding down his cheeks. Colonnello was silent for a long moment.

" _Don't worry about it, kora._ " He said, so softly Tsuna almost couldn't hear. " _I'll never let anything like that happen to you again._ "

Tsuna tried so hard to muffle the sob. It rose in his throat, wobbling dangerously before it broke. He cried. Colonnello stayed on the line, soothing murmurs and broken sobs the only thing breaking the silence of his room.

* * *

When Tsuna woke up the next day, he struggled. Struggled to open his eyes, struggled to make his limbs move, struggled to take the first few steps out of bed. He flexed his fingers in the sheets. Hovered on the edge for a moment, contemplating curling back into a ball. Surely, his mother wouldn't mind… Gokudera still had an arm slung over his face. Their shared alarm hadn't gone off yet. Tsuna had been waking early. Nightmares, mostly, but also just generally. His mother had taken the restlessness that came with it and put it to good use, helping her make breakfast and lunches for everyone. She had a lot more people to feed now, after all. He hovered for another moment, and wobbled to his feet. He stepped over the body on the floor, hoping he didn't wake him, and shuffled out the door.

Tsuna stared at his groggy face in the mirror. He looked like shit. He sighed through his nose, cupped his hands beneath the faucet, and splashed water right into his face. He bunched up immediately, a disgruntled noise squirming out of his throat. He shook his head. Well… that was awful. He did it again. Still awful. He felt mildly more alert now, at least.

He headed downstairs, and joined his mother in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Tsu-kun!" She chirped. He mumbled something back, autopiloting to start making lunches for the day. They had school today, right? "What's for lunch today?"

"Octopus wieners, egg rolls, and rice balls." He said easily, slipping into an easy rhythm. She hummed, dipping a cup into her miso to test it.

"Perfect!" She declared happily. Tsuna smiled. A tiny thing. He cracked a few eggs. Stirred the mixture. He needed to tell everyone what happened. Then, they'd make a decision together.

* * *

Tsuna fidgeted uneasily. The room was still. He could practically _feel_ the tension in the air. He swallowed. Tsuna wondered again if it was a good idea to tell them… Minami's chair scraped against the floor as she stood, fast and jerking.

"It doesn't have anything to do with us, right?" She said, more than slightly hysterical. "It's all the way in Italy. We're home, we're _safe_. We don't have to go through that again…" Her words turned into a sob halfway through, and Tsuna felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe he shouldn't have told them… No. They all went through that hell, and they all deserved to know if it was going to happen again. Chrome slipped her fingers into his, and he smiled slightly. Minami dropped back into her chair, shaking.

"I'm not saying we should get involved. I don't _want_ to get involved. But this affects all of us. I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page." He said softly. The last thing he wanted was for her to end up in the hospital like him.

"What does that even mean?" Hana said brusquely, arms tight over her chest. "Minami was right. It's all the way in Italy, it doesn't concern us." Tsuna struggled for a moment. He wanted to believe that. More than _anything_ , he wanted to believe that it was all over. That he never had to worry about it again. If it was still happening over there, though, there was still a possibility of it spreading.

"I just want everyone to be prepared…" He said. It was so quiet, he wasn't sure anyone heard. Dangan sighed.

"We're not safe just because we're in Japan." The silence after his statement was deafening. "It could happen again. Anywhere, anytime. We weren't prepared last time. That doesn't mean we can't be next time."

"What do you mean…?" Minami asked between sniffles. Gokudera stepped forward.

"He means: we train. That way, if we ever have to fight again, we _can_."

It took some convincing, for the most part. Hana, Minami, and Kyoko were especially hesitant ("Just leave it to the professionals, you damn monkeys!", "We're not going _looking_ for it, you stupid woman, but if we ever get stuck like last time, at least we'll be prepared for it!"). They came around, eventually. Dangan was right, after all. It could happen again. And if it did… they were going to survive. _All of them_.

* * *

Tsuna skidded down the hallway, just barely making it through the door unscathed. The wary alertness was concerning, but Tsuna ignored it. He was far too excited.

"He's here!" He said, spinning back around to murmurs of nervous excitement. He didn't wait for them to follow, the footsteps behind him were proof enough, before he ran off down the hall again. He almost ran into several people, but he just apologised profusely and continued running. Excitement bubbled up his throat as the front entry came into view. Outside, he stood against the gate, the sun giving his hair a healthy golden glow. Tsuna grinned.

"Colonnello!" He called, voice bright with excitement. He ran forwards, but stopped just in front of the man, not daring to push his limits. He grinned. Colonnello laughed, and yanked him into a hug, mussing his hair.

"Yo!" He said eagerly. Tsuna wrapped his arms around him immediately, burying his face in his stomach. Really, Colonnello was far too tall. This wasn't what he wanted though, as nice as it was. It wasn't what he _needed_. What _they_ needed. He pulled away, reluctantly. He waited for another moment, for the others to catch up and gather around him. He stood as tall as he could, breathed in deeply, and looked his soldier in the eye.

"I want you to train me."

Colonnello looked at him, determination shining in his eyes, fists clenched at his sides. Unyielding. He looked at the others. They were all the same. Watching him with that mix of determination and gut-wrenching anticipation. No doubt they'd find other ways if he said no… He sighed through his nose. Scratched the back of his head.

"Okay."

* * *

 **AN:** Sorry for the godawful wait, next chapter's UP!

We're basically heading into the daily life arc now, so there's not gonna be too much action just yet. Also, I'm wondering if anybody cares if Dangan, Minami, and Mochida stay in the story (as side characters obvi, they wouldn't get too much action). The Mochida in this story is kind of growing on me.

Thank you all so much for your reviews, I love you all! Hope you guys enjoyed the newest chapter!

Nemhein2009: Tsuna is not currently Mafia

* * *

 **Omake:** _Love Letters_

Colonnello watched Lal over the din of the crowd. Mess hall was always loud. He frowned, why wasn't she answering her phone? This was a really good one, too… His phone buzzed in his pocket. He frowned down at the confused message he'd received from… Tsuna?

"Oops…" He muttered aloud.

"What'd you do?" Felix asked from beside him, almost drowning in his soup.

"Kora, accidentally sent it to my brat…"

"Didn't know you had a kid." It was a question.

"I don't have a kid. I have a brat."

"Right…" He snorted. "At least you didn't send it to Reborn."

"Now _that_ ," Colonnello said, quickly undoing his mistake. "Would have been _truly_ embarrassing. _Kora_."

He glanced up just as Lal grabbed her phone. He hunkered down to watch his work in play. Today's letter was extra fluffy. He was impressed with himself, actually. Felix rolled his eyes a little, watching the event play out. Lal read the message quickly, face growing a brighter red each second. She slammed her hands onto the table, and shoved herself to her feet.

"Colonnello!" Ooh, that wasn't good. Colonnello scrambled out of his seat and bolted, ignoring Felix snickering behind him. " _Get back here_!"

(He ended up with three cracked ribs, she punched him so hard, but she let him cuddle up to her afterwards, so he considered it a win. Ah, the dangers of sending Lal love letters…)


End file.
